California Wild FLowers Print

I’m Zak, I’m from Silicon Valley, California. Painting is my hobby, more importantly, my passion. By profession, I’m a senior software engineer in one the Silicon Valley tech companies. I love what I do for living, but I needed a way to relax myself from the fast moving and highly demanding Silicon Valley lifestyle. I started painting just to keep myself away from the real life for few hours, and to float through the streams and rivers of imagination. I found great joy in that sailing. Since then I tried to make mess with colors whenever I find few hours to myself. :) I came to USA for my Grad studies, and lived 5 years in NJ. As a poor grad student who lives on stipends, I couldn’t afford a car and couldn’t explore nature as much as I liked to. I moved to California in 2017, and got my first ever car and license les than 4 years ago!!! In last 3-4 years, I was closer to nature, and since then I’m amazed with the California beauty! Amazing mountains like Yosemite, lakes like Tahoe, roaring King’s River, best wild flower bloom, Mojave desert, beautiful Pacific from my office window - I couldn’t ask for more. It’s not hard to guess from my artwork that many of those are inspired by California beauty, and I’m grateful to this beautiful state. I’m also highly grateful to Bob Ross and I’m inspired by his technique. I started with Acrylic, but then liked oil more. However, it was tough for me to wait a week for one layer to get dry, I used to loose my mood by then. I have many unfinished oil painting that I never felt like going back. And I was loosing interest over time. Bob Ross’s wet-on-wet (all a prima) worked like a magic for me. It helped me continuously work on one painting until it’s finished. I learned a lot from the “joy of painting” series and I’m forever grateful to Bob. I’m a self-taught painter - started by watching tutorials, then reading lots of books on paintings, and then by practicing. This is my world, and my happy trees, and I have the power to move the mountains. In my world, I don’t do any mistakes, only happy accidents. :)