SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – ArkLaTex Artistry explores the work of Steve Zihlavsky, a mix-media, assemblage, and mural artist who believes everyone is an artist in their own way.
Bossier City artist, Steve Zihlavsky, is a mixed-media artist who explores many mediums and materials while creating his art. He mostly uses leftover materials from his construction jobs to create assemblage sculptures and paintings. He and his wife, Tammy Zihlavsky, also an artist, have worked on many public projects in Shreveport-Bossier, including murals across northwest Louisiana.
Zihlavsky owns a painting and drywall business called the Anomalous Brush LLC., where he gets most of his leftover materials that normally would be thrown away, upcycling them into surreal works of art.
His art almost feels scientific. His large sculptures and paintings can give the bringer a sense of looking into a micro-universe and appear very otherworldly. In other projects, he captures the beauty of nature, by painting trees and swampy environments.
One of Zihlavsky’s collaborative exhibitions with musician Michael Futreal, Twang Darkly, Court of King Skebal, held at Centenary’s Meadows Museum, immersed viewers in an alien kingdom Zihlavsky and Futreal created.
His beginnings
Zihlavsky was born in California but his family moved to Bossier City when he was just a baby and he has lived here most of his life. Growing up, his family was very creative, both of his parents were good artists and would always sing, dance, and do art with the kids. This exposure to creativity at such a young age led to Zihlavasky seeing art in everything, from painting, cooking, gardening, and even raising children.
His influences
Other artists, people, and life, in general, inspire Zihlavsky. He loves to watch other artists create, he takes inspiration from their work and says he always tries to learn more from them.
“When I am around people, you get that vibration out of them, that sensation. One way or the other, you may not like them and then you have a song about that, or you may wanna paint something about this person that you love,” says Zihlavsky.
“I am open inside, it’s a wide open space,” says Zihlavsky about one of his paintings, titled “Inside” which he says is an expression of himself. “And when I watch other artists, what they do, I study their works, that inspires me.”
Collaboration became a big part of his professional artist life when he, Shreveport artists, Ryan McCutcheon and Johnny Bicknel, came together and formed the artist group Lab Rat Arts.
Steve Zihlavsky has worked on many major mural projects in the northwest Louisiana area, often with well-known artists like Chris Opp, also known as Artistic Shark, known for big projects like the Bossier water tower mural. One such project was the large palm tree murals and signage for Bossier City’s Margaritaville Casino.
His Art
Advice to starting artists
Zihlavsky says always to take notes of your ideas as soon as you have them or they could be lost.
“Take notes if you are an artist. You don’t have to do the whole thing right now, jot something down, make a sketch. Make sure you don’t forget that great idea you had, because they are gonna come and they are gonna go. You can always go back and look at your notes and say, well, this one I wanna work on today, but naah I might not do that one at all. Either way, if you haven’t made a notation of it, keep your books, scraps of paper, ” he says as he pulls random paper from his back pocket. “You should really should keep a piece of paper of some sort in your back pocket.”
“Don’t doubt yourself, everyone is born an artist, and we are not artists of one medium alone in life,” says Zihlavsky about starting art. ” So find the one that suits you, that you are inclined to do and pursue them. Expand your arts, don’t be restricted. Don’t feel like you have to just do this.”
He also suggests that aspiring artists should surround themselves with like-minded creatives that will inspire ideas.
“Surround yourself with other artists. Find a flow with the people you flow with and let them be your inspiration,” says Zihlavsky. “Now, question yourself and question what it is they are doing. Ask them questions, how do you do that?”
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