Artists to Know: Joseph Zbukvic

Joseph's early education was very versatile and included both the performing and visual arts. Despite his obvious talent, his parents decided that there was no future in painting as a profession, and in 1967 enrolled him into a university to study languages and literature in order to pursue a teaching career.This was interrupted in 1970, when, due to political unrest, they decided to immigrate from Yugoslavia to Australia. There he continued his formal education at Deakin University in Melbourne. He graduated in 1974, gaining a Diploma of Art in Industrial Design. During this course he discovered watercolor as a medium and began to paint again, achieving instant success at art competitions, winning his first major art award in 1975. He had his first solo exhibition in 1977 at Eastgate Gallery, Brighton, Melbourne. In 1978 he began painting full time and quickly established himself as a leading watercolorist. He has achieved enormous success with his sensitively rendered watercolors covering an incredible variety of subjects. After a 20-year absence, he visited Zagreb in 1990. He received a warm welcome and was made artist in residence at the Mimara Museum of Fine Art. Joseph has continued to explore new subjects and fresh ways to express his vision by frequent overseas travel. He has reached a new level of technical ability, maturity and strength as he enters the fourth decade of his career.

To see more, please visit: http://jzbukvic.com/