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My Story

Me is studio in Florida Keys 2024.jpeg

Born in 1963 in the United Kingdom, I lived in this country and in Montreal before going to Luxembourg. Today, I divide my time between my two houses: the Florida Keys and Quebec. My origins are varied: my parents were born in Egypt, my father being Czech and my mother Venetian, French and Ottoman. Self-taught, I have always felt attracted to art, but I chose to embark on a banking career. It was in 2015 that I returned to oil painting and presented my first collective vernissage in Luxembourg in 2019.

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From an early age, I was passionate about all forms of art! My grandmother, who was a great lover of visual arts and had a rich library of art books, allowed me to discover the great classical painters. At the age of 10, I had the opportunity to present to all the students of the primary school a slideshow of 100 color drawings from The Little Prince.

 

Throughout my primary and secondary studies, I entered various creative competitions, winning the first prize each time. Although I studied science, I benefited from all the arts classes offered and played clarinet in the school's symphony orchestra. Thus, I had the opportunity to learn sculpture, screen printing, linocut, and painting for several years. My best memories are those of art and music classes that I attended with pleasure and passion!

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My parents had prepared me for a career in Graphic Art, but when it came time to decide on my career, I chose to pursue medical school. I wanted to study the human brain. Unfortunately, after 3 months, I had to give up. This failure troubled me at the age of 16. I did not know then that I had attention deficit disorder. I opted for economic studies with a specialization in Finance and obtained my Master's degree in Administration and Finance. That is when my career took off and, at age 35, I became the youngest Chief Risk Officer of a bank in Canada. At the age of 40, I flew to Europe and worked for the most prestigious private banking bank: UBS. During all this glorious period, I unfortunately never touched art again.

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At the age of 52, I had a great revelation! When my daughter expressed her interest in architecture, we enrolled in drawing classes offered by Galerie Edition 88, located in Luxembourg. The owner of the Gallery, Mr. Popov, was a respected Bulgarian artist. After only two sessions, it was obvious that I had a gift for drawing and I quickly began learning oil painting. Unfortunately, this experience did not last long, as Mr. Popov passed away after a few months. The teachers who succeeded him did not inspire me and the frustration of waiting a whole week to paint invaded me more and more. Determined to find a solution, I created a small studio at home despite my busy schedule as a banker.

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In 2019, I held my first exhibition in Luxembourg highlighting the theme "Carré de soie", inspired by the famous silk scarfs of Hermès. I was fascinated by the bright colors and the diversity of patterns. However, this collection and the next one, although very decorative, lacked depth and realism. That is why I decided to develop a more subtle collection rich in values: Arabesques.

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In 2023, the KeyWest Collection followed inspired by the colors and beautiful landscape of the Keys.

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In 2024, two additional collections were added: Lodge Collection inspired by the mountains and lakes in the Eastern Townships and Vermont,  and Aquametria, inspired by the Florida Keys and Maine.

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Inspirations & Philosophy

The "Arabesques" collection launched my career.  Since childhood, I like to draw arabesques during my school classes and developed a very stylized handwriting. It is only later, through my painting, that I become aware of the immense inspiration that my Mediterranean origins brought me. The colorful richness of Byzantine icons, decorative arabesques, the luxuriance of Middle Eastern printed fabrics and the mastery of Russian art captivated me. Through my works, I seek to bridge the gap between the decorative/oriental sense (two-dimensional space, stylized and carved forms in bold colors) and the importance of realistic Western qualities (three-dimensional space with values and gradients). 

 

My compositions are deeply inspired by Delacroix, Matisse, and Klimt and by more contemporary painters such as Peter Vey, Derek Penix, Orlanda Broom, Liz Prescott,  Jennifer Jones & Greg Beecham;  and by photographer Alex Mustard.

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Like Matisse, my works mix decorative orientalism and Western realism.

While Delacroix states:  "The most beautiful paintings I have seen are some carpets of Persia. »; a Persian carpet lacks the power a painting brings in its association of interconnected objects. I cannot refrain from a totally abstract art that clings to nothing yet pure realism bores me. 

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It is therefore not surprising that my style moved closer to the Nabi movement.  The term Nabi, in Arabic, means in a passive sense, one who is delighted in ecstasy. Nabi expresses the spiritual quest they have undertaken and the aesthetic renewal they have initiated. This movement, created in 1888, and which is part of the post-impressionist history but detaches itself from it, advocates the return to the imaginary and subjectivity with the idea of an essentially decorative and accessible art that embellishes life!

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Style & technique

Typical of the classic Venitian Old Masters oil painting style, I apply the paint in layers making it possible to achieve remarkable hues and effects and more convincing realism.  The technique is a combination of opaque underpainting, scumbling, glazes, lights, and starting all over. Color application only begins when form is perfectly executed during the underpainting stage. This process takes several months as a minimum of usually 8-10 layers of paint are required to get a deep, rich, velvety darks which next to the opaques create wonderful color contrast and a luminosity which cannot be obtained with wet on wet techniques.

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I create compositions where colors arouse deep and suggestive emotions.

"Painting should be a feast for the eye" Delacroix

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While form is important, my signature is color.  It is therefore through color that my paintings are organized with a concern to subject my colors to simultaneous contrasts through the use of Chiaroscuro and flochetage.  I apply strokes of complementary and closely related colours that combine in the eye to heighten hue. Unlike Matisse who refrains from using transparent glazes, although he loves them, I use glazing techniques to intensify light, depth, transparency, and brilliance of colors which give my paintings this jewel like effects.  I firmly believe that this makes my art unique.

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« We are all in this Delacroix. When I talk to you about the joy of colors for colors' sake, that is what I mean». Cézanne

« The Orientals had made color a means of expression. » Matisse

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My art is both analytical and conceptual. It is thus necessary to have, right from the start, a clear vision of the whole. The design is a long and meticulous process. Once the drawing applied on the canvas, I start with the underpainting where the shape and value balance is established using thinly applied paint. My interest is in the rhthmic expression through the arrangement of the form, tone and colour. Unlike realistic painting, the expression for me does not lie in the passion expressed on a face or a movement but on the whole painting. 

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​Before I even finish a painting, I already think about the next one. Several sketches are made in order to find the perfect composition and once this step is completed, the drawing is carefully executed to express the right values. Then, the drawing is transposed onto a canvas and a color palette is determined after several days of research. This process can quickly take several weeks.

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Gallery representation

2024-2025: SeaSister Island Gallery, KeyWest, FL

2021 - 2023:  Galerie OKKO (KOKE) QC, Canada

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Solo & Group Exhibitions

2025:   January 26th - Solo Exhibition “Oceania”, SeaSister Island Gallery, KeyWest, FL, USA

2024:   September 4th-November 3rd – Group Exhibition Biennale, Art’M, Magog, QC, Canada

2024:   May 18th-19th - Solo Exhibition “KeyWest”, SeaSister Island Gallery, KeyWest, FL, USA

2023:   April 15th-16th – Group exhibition, Art’Lenster, Junglinster, Luxembourg

2022:   May 19th - Group Exhibition, Galerie KoKe, Rosemère, QC, Canada

2020:  September 18th-20th – Group exhibition, Galerie Van Gogh Madrid, Art3F Expo Art Fair, Luxembourg

2019:   April 6th-7th – Group exhibition, Art’Lenster, Junglinster, Luxembourg

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Awards

2024:  Honorable mention in the animals category - Best Art Awards 2023

2023-2019 : Art Prize recognition for artistic achievement by the Museum Pinacothèque of Luxembourg

2023:  Finalist - "Blue" Juried Art Exhibition by Art Room Online Gallery

2023:  Honorable Mention Award - International Juried Art Competition "Color" by Teravarna

2021:  President Award for "La Baigneuse" from the International  Award Art Group (IAAG)

2019:  Group Exhibition ArtLenster, Junglinster, Luxembourg

education

​2025:  Upcoming - April, Workshop in Studio with Derek Penix, Laguna Beach, CA, USA

2025:  February, New York Academy of Art, “The colors you don’t see: Mastering your palette” Marshall Jones, NY, USA

2025:  January, New York Academy of Art, “Real Life or Still Life workshop” - Zane York, NY, USA

1988 to 1991: Master’s in Business Administration - distinction, University of Concordia, QC; Canada     

1983 to 1986: Bachelor in Commerce, McGill University, QC, Canada

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Publications

23 March 2022 :  PORTRAITS D'ARTISTES - ALICIA ZEMANEK, L'ART INFLUENCÉ PAR LA MER by Olimpia Gaia Martinelli. 

Link: 

Associations

Art'M Magog, Québec Canada

Florida Keys Council of the Arts

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