EG: Where were you born? Where did you grow up? Where is home?

KZ: I was born in England, but spent most my life growing up and surfing in San Clemente, CA.  My home for the past 8 years has been Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

EG: What made you decide to Paint?

KZ: In the mid 80’s I was designing a lot of T-shirt art as a freelance artist for surf wear companies including Gothca, MCD, Rusty, Rip Curl, O’Neill and Quicksilver. By the mid 90s the industry took a turn towards computer generated art, but I continued to create my pieces by hand and decided to put my name on my art rather than a company logo. Painting to me was just a natural progression from drawing.

EG: Did you learn through formal teachings or were you self-taught?

KZ: I was brought up in a great family but unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you view things, I had to work for the things I had and could not afford to spend time in art school so I taught myself through pure desire.

EG: Why did you choose to live and paint on the northwest of Puerto Rico? What brought you to this beautiful island?

KZ: I spent many years visiting one of my brothers on Kauai and fell in love with the tropical setting but when my wife brought me to PR for the first time I fell in love with the place and the people.  I was possessed with the idea of being able to move here permanently. The colors here are so crisp and bright; the waves are truly world-class… pretty much everything I see is a painting just waiting to happen. My wife, Lisa, brought me to this Island for the first time nearly 13 years ago. We have good friends in the rainforest so I would have to say it was the people and the waves in that order.

EG: How would you describe your art and esthetic language?

KZ: My art is just a reaction to what I feel and see. Other times it may be an image that makes me happy and smile.  I dabble in photo-realism, surf fantasy or stoke, and am now trying my hand at planar. Sometimes I will combine two styles as far as “esthetic language” I don’t know how to label it.

EG: Do you think surfing has brought you to a different level as a painter?

KZ: Surfing made an artist out of me; it was the act of riding waves and all the sights that I have seen that makes me want to paint. I don’t see myself at any certain level as a painter.

EG: How do you get your inspiration going? Muse?

KZ: I get inspired after a good surf session most of the time…especially this year as we have had so much good surf for the past few months.  Other artists also inspire me.

EG: How do you incorporate being a surfer in your works of art?

KZ: I am basically painting from my heart; true, honest stoke for the art of my paintings. I never paint if I am unhappy.  It’s taking some of the best experiences of my life and exposing them to anyone who cares to look.

EG: How do you manage to make the dream-like state or surreal effect come out so naturally in your paintings?

KZ: I think it comes from what I was exposed to in my younger days. I had a lot of artists who were living in or around my hometown who were psychedelic artists and pretty much created some of the trippiest art I have ever seen to this day. As a kid that the kind of art I always wanted to do and eventually I did some art for The Grateful Dead (Rick Griffin and Bill Ogen).  It’s sub-conscious I usually don’t have any idea what the painting is going to look like until it’s done I start with a prayer to God and He takes care of the rest.