This months featured artist is Zak Duff

IG: @zmduff 

Born and raised in the museum-and-gallery-filled Washington, DC area, Zak was exposed to the arts and sciences at an early age.  He relocated to North Carolina in 2000, and in pursuit of a career in the art world, he completed a Bachelors in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina in 2010.  Following that, Zak completed a yearlong internship for Wilmington gallery Projekte, before moving on to earn a Masters in Painting from Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California, in 2017.

Zak is a member of the Wilmington Art Association and the Thrive Artist Collective, and has participated in artist colonies, solo exhibitions, and more than thirty group shows.  Zak has developed an eclectic body of work over the course of his artistic career, including figure paintings in oil, flora and fauna in watercolor, and landscapes in a multitude of mediums.  He currently resides in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he teaches at Cape Fear Community College and produces paintings and illustrations from his private studio in the home he shares with his wife and son.

Artist Statement:

“My watercolor illustrations are created as studies of the colors, patterns, and forms found in nature.  My intention is to create studies of the living creatures found in the natural spaces that surround us, specifically their form, patterning, and character.  My illustrative style is influenced by naturalists like John James Audubon, blended with the line work and color palette of modern graphic novels.”