ARTIST’S BIO …OR, HOW I BECAME JOAN ZYLKIN THE EVENT PAINTER: CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE:
I came with my family to live in Wilmington, DE in 1986 from London, UK and we are now American Citizens, living in center city Philadelphia.
After careers in International Civil Service, (OECD, Paris); Journalism/Editor, (Sydney Australia and London UK) Business Entrepreneur/Owner Fashion Retailer (London), and with some very fine local art classes along the way ... from 1992-5 ... I enrolled in the Certificate Program at the PennsylvaniaAcademy of the Fine Arts, one of the finest art schools in the world, to study anatomy, drawing and painting 24/7, and loved every minute.
I knew that I wanted to paint, and that I love color and gesture ... which led to what I do now ... which is to capture the immediacy of my subjects by working very quickly in oils. For the last fifteen years or so, I have been painting live at all sorts of performances and events: Shakespeare, Gilbert and Sullivan, Broadway Shows, Music of all kinds, Coffee Shops, Beaches ... honing my skills and taking commissions along the way.
Now I offer my services to paint live at parties and special events, such as Weddings, and I paint portrait commissions for Fund Raisers and guests love to watch me paint. So ... let me be your painter for the Day.