My painting continues to evolve with age; I am far from reaching the ceiling of realizing my visions and ideas in my work. I would also like to write about life…
My first vivid memory of painting from childhood… with crayons… was when my mother put a crayon in my right hand, and I moved it to my left and kept on painting…
EDUCATION
Another strong memory was when they discovered at school that I was gifted in painting, and my teacher insisted that my parents enroll me in an Art School. They did, and I excelled there too, though there were moments when I preferred to spend my afternoons playing volleyball, dodgeball, or tennis with my friends in the spacious parking lot in front of our apartment block. My artistic creativity at school was also reflected in thematic arranging and composing images for the bulletin boards—that was my “official” role.
I was supposed to study at the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Košice, but I wasn’t accepted. The painting department was no longer available, only restoration, and I didn’t want to go into applied design; I heard they might have accepted me in Banská Bystrica. I didn’t have the strength for it; I felt something was happening with my health, with my body. I felt weakness, fear, and uncertainty. I was relieved when I was accepted without entrance exams in my hometown to a four-year vocational school with a focus on agriculture. In a way, it felt like returning to my childhood and my grandmother’s profession, whom I used to help during summer holidays… it felt good to be with her in the countryside.
EMPLOYMENT
After graduating high school, I registered at the labor office and was hired as a technical officer. By then, I was already recognized as having a disability (ZŤP) and was on a partial disability pension, as I had been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. Even there, during breaks, I would take paperclips and bend them into various shapes: treble clefs, guitars, violins, or make collages out of paper and printer ribbons… my sense of creativity never left me. I worked there for three years.
ON THE MEANING OF LIFE
After that, I enthusiastically thought about what to do next. I didn’t want to stagnate in life; I had visions of how I could live, create, paint, hold exhibitions at home, live an artistic life, or work in a bookstore or library. But somehow, art alone wasn’t fulfilling me. I was searching for the meaning of life even while working at the office. I had various reflections on life and a worldview that I recorded in writing—I was always good at essays, so writing stayed with me. I was about 18 to 21 years old.
Alongside occasional painting for friends and family, I felt drawn toward searching for the meaning of life, for “something more.” This led me through Buddhism, dream books, the occult, Hinduism, Yoga, Tibetan exercises, and meditation… and gradually toward Christianity. I found meaning in faith through the person of Jesus Christ, in the Word, and in the Bible, which spoke profoundly about how to live. I loved it. I began studying the Bible intensively at home, learning to practice faith through prayer, worship, and small deeds; I read and memorized biblical verses for about three years.
Through a Christian community in Košice, I found a job in a Lutheran church bookstore and a non-profit organization, where I worked for seven years. It was a period of building my spiritual faith in practice within a community, not just through home study. It was a rich time; I learned to translate my economic and entrepreneurial talents into practice, and there was also space to sell my own creations. I started there as a volunteer and served as an employee for the last three years.
Afterward, I started my own business. I created at home and sold my handmade products at occasional conferences, events, in small brick-and-mortar shops, and on online portals. I educated myself a bit online about branding and e-commerce… and later, I began to paint more. However, due to my declining health, I believe it is wise to be thoughtful about what and how I create so that it actually sells. It doesn’t pay to store things. But I still have hope.
ON CREATIVITY
In my creative work and painting, I certainly reflect my own personality, my relationship with nature, the universe, the weather, and the visual-cultural influences of my childhood. I am drawn to Pop Art and the contrast between black and white. People say they are neutral colors, but for me, these colors feel safe—even in the way I dress. Although a colorful palette of various shades is beautiful to look at, I feel more practical and secure in those two colors.
Lately, in my mind, I have been returning to the thought that ideas come from either a good or an evil source—that they have an origin or a primal root in good and evil, that there is a Heaven and a Hell. It amazes me that sometimes we don’t even know how to distinguish which thoughts, even simple ones, come from one side or the other. I am in a state where I perceive this very intensely, which is why I believe my work continues to revolve around the psychological-spiritual and ethical themes of good and evil.
CURRENTLY
At the moment, I am painting bags. I hope I will manage to take some high-quality photos of them soon.
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