Yadzia studied Design Communication at Canterbury College of Art. She graduated with a specialism in Illustration with a particular interest in Children's Publishing, influenced and inspired by her four year old daughter.
She worked as a freelance illustrator and part time as a lecturer at The School of Art and Design in Wrexham, which eventually led to a full time post. Her particular interests are drawing, printmaking, papermaking and book binding.
She was involved with the research and validation for the unique programme "Illustration for Children's Publishing" which was validated in 1998 and is involved with this programme as well as running the General Illustration programme.
Her passion and interest in children's books eventually led to the current research she is undertaking.
Her parents were emigres after the second world war who settled in Wales. Therefore her upbringing was Polish, creating a strong emotional and personal tie with the Polish culture and a great curiosity to the country itself. The influence of Polish children's books, story telling by her father, food and cooking passed on by her mother and every day traditions of family life helped define who she is today.
Not suprisingly her own illustration work has a strong Polish influence, which eventually led to a greater curiosity and interest in the illustration of children's books in Poland.
The seed for this research on children's books was planted three years ago, in 2004 when she developed links with the Academy of Fine Art in Katowice and a collaboration started to develop. They have worked together over the years to develop research into the nich of Design Communication. The exchange of ideas, methods and practices between them as practitioners and the students in their respective institutions in relation to illustration and illustration for children's publishing has reinforced their belief in the collaboration's potential - educationally and commercially.
The collaboration involved an exhibition of students work from both institutions, accompanied by a series of conferences, the first was at The Selesian Library and Conference Centre in Katowice. This conference debated aspects of "narrative" in children's books and explored the similarities and differences of text, image and narrative between the two cultures: Polish and British. The conference involved educationalists, academics, writers, illustrators, publishers and students.
The second conference was held at The Silesian Castle of Art and Enterprise in Cieszyn. This conference explored the relationship between image and text in relation to current specialist practitioner and pedagogic research into font and text legibility for children.
The third will be held at NEWI in October 2007.
The Exhibition and conferences have led to further development in the research proposal, involving collaborative projects.