My journey started in a small town in communist Czechoslovakia during the Cold War. Growing up in communism and the constant presence of never-ending propaganda and fear made it challenging to find freedom in creating or even to understand what it means to create freely. Individualism and creativity that didn’t fit into government guidelines weren’t encouraged.

I understood this even as a small girl and felt somewhat rebellious in my determination to paint and write poetry, and I even managed to win several competitions. Before my journey took me to America, I studied at the Faculty of Philosophy at Charles University in Prague.
I immigrated to the U.S. in 1992 and continued my artistic journey there. Not being able to speak English made it a bumpy ride at first.

At that time, I lived and worked in the Wicker Park area of Chicago and exhibited with several galleries in the ever-changing River North gallery district and in my own growing studio. I’ve had the privilege of working with many charities over the years, donating artwork to the Gates Foundation for Africa relief and Lawrence Hall Chicago among others. My work has been featured among others on the Rachael Ray Show and in many publications such as Elle Decor, American Art Collector, Chicago Interiors, and Fine Art Connoisseur. My work has been part of many corporate and private collections such as Deloitte and the private collection of Oprah Winfrey. I work in my Lakeview studio and recently opened 2936 Contemporary, a new gallery space in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago.