User:Zuryloves/Zurama L. Johnston

Born in Havana, Cuba in 1965, with an instinctive love for all forms of art. "I just needed to paint. I was born in Cuba and I grew up just painting my heart out. Things like paints were not available, so I can remember when I was nine making my own paints with white toothpaste and colored pencils which I pounded into powder. All I wanted was to paint and I would have done it with mud if I had to."

Zurama feels a passion for painting. It allows her an avenue of expression for her love of Cuba with all the memories and images she will never forget. Her home is now in America, and she regards this her country. She is grateful to God for the gift of painting and the release it gives back to her is her salvation and peace.

Zurama's first strong inspiration was her father's paintings. One was a mural in their dining and living room that covered all the walls. It was a Canadian landscape. In the bathroom was a mural of Venice, Italy. She yearned to paint just like him. Inspiration also came from viewing the work of Da Vinci, Goya, El Greco, Frida Kahlo, and others. Her most influential teachers are Martha Underwood, Becky Guzak, and Mary Hughes.

"God gave me a gift and in my darkest hour it rescued me."

http://artdezurama.blogspot.com/