Zoran Peshich of Roseville, Granite Bay, and Rocklin: Out of This World
Award-winning, multi-medium artist Zoran Peschich creates imaginative landscapes and surreal works of space and fantasy using acrylics and oils, along with his ceramic sculptures and photography. Born in former Yugoslavia, he emigrated to Britain as a young boy, where he studied art and honed his unique style. “[After establishing] a well-defined idea of what I want to create, I pick the medium and technique that I feel will bring out the statement or message, always [being] mindful not to hinder the thing I want to communicate,” shares Peshich. “The technique should always be secondary, in my opinion, unless one is creating conceptual art.” Peshich’s work has been included in several local exhibits this year, including Blue Line Arts’ Art Bra and Hell on Wheels—with a third show, British Invasion, slated for November—and Sparrow Gallery’s Artists from Alpha.
HLB: What about space and fantasy compels you?
ZP: Space is always good for the mind; it gives you room to move about and project your [thoughts]. Time is an important factor, too, because it makes you start and finish things. I wanted to invoke this space in the viewer, so stars, planets, galaxies, and nebulas were a perfect fit. Fantasy in the UK means surrealism, imagination, and the realm of the impossible.
HLB: What have been significant moments with your work?
ZP: Walking among the destruction and marked and unmarked unexploded ordinance and seeing the faces of the people in Beirut—just after the end of the 1975-1990 Civil War—was life-changing. After, I went to the mountains behind the city and saw a beautiful town below me—even in its destruction. I decided I would tell a different human story. This is why some [of my] work is “political” in nature, with some satire thrown in (due to my British upbringing and education).
HLB: How do you handle setbacks?
ZP: There’s so much negativity and chaos happening in the world right now and there’s much to communicate about the wrongs; so, when needed, I blast either classical or rock music or go out in nature and take photographs. When all else fails, I garden!
HLB: Why is art so vital to the world?
ZP: Art is the ultimate human expression. It rips through philosophy, since the aesthetic mind deals in creation, so you get a tantalizing idea that art is the highest form of thought.
HLB: What challenges do you face as a professional?
ZP: It’s a balance between survival and the need to continue one’s life passion. Sometimes the need to survive overtakes true artistic search and experiment, resulting in mediocrity. Yet, a lot of success comes from knowing the right people and luck. Art is an imponderable—the very nature of thought. Brilliant work gets ignored and weird rubbish gets rave reviews. It’s a package deal, so one has to navigate all these falsehoods. zoran-peshich.artistwebsites.com
by Heather L. BeckeR
artist photo by Dante Fontana
artwork images courtesy of Zoran Peshich
