The artist Ana Tzarev was born in Trogir, Croatia in 1937 surrounded by the inspiring presence of Renaissance art and the heritage of centuries of a deeply rooted culture but she also experienced the hardships imposed on the region during the Second World War. Her work reveals her formal, classical education and a natural empathy for the dispossessed but her early struggles have been subjugated to her passion for life and the joy of painting. A very physical painter, Ana Tzarev works on a large scale, using massive amounts of pure, vibrant color in a unique sculptural approach known as impasto. The energy required to render the paintings is tremendous and the resultant works are vibrant, powerful and emotional.

Ana Tzarev’s paintings center on her observations and experiences gained from worldwide travels and reflect her remarkable knowledge of the history and cultural traditions of the lands she has visited. Tzarev lived for many years in New Zealand and Australia and travelled widely in the Asia Pacific region, Africa and Europe.

Through her work Ana Tzarev chronicles dozens of rituals and scenes of daily life worldwide: "As I travel through time, I record my experiences in paintings and leave them as postcards to future generations".