Meet the Artist: Zizka

I thought it would be a good time to introduce myself to give some background about who I am and how I arrived at this profession. Life as an artist began for me in Cleveland, OH, in the industrial city life of the rust belt of America. I grew up appreciating nature. Cleveland is surrounded by countryside and beautiful state parks. and being influenced by art by frequently visiting the Cleveland Museum of Art. Between the museum and growing up in a family of highly skilled painters and I was exposed to painting in my aunt’s studio at a young age. I watched her paint in oils, kneaded her erasers and sometimes she let me paint on her canvases too. I knew I was a painter the first time I smelled oil paints in her studio. There was an instant connection, a sense of familiarity that I somehow felt familiar even though it was new to me at the time.

I consider myself mostly a self taught painter, and I will give credit to the art university I attended for my title as artist in general. I was influenced by art history and my ideas about art and my place in the art world expanded greatly thanks to my education.