>> FEATURED ARTIST
Zach Levinson
So where did it all begin?  My art life began in elementary school as I was always drawing comic characters on papers and notebooks.  For several years I basically drew on anything in my reach including myself.  Since then not much has changed, but I’ve managed to find a niche in the art world, and a favorite color- green.

Like many of the people who used to frequent this site, I received my bachelor’s degree from the Art Institute of Colorado, majoring in Media Arts and Animation.  I had previously attended CU Boulder for a year where I learned how to skateboard and make Easy Mac.  However, when I began school at AIC (CIA for old schoolers) I became serious about learning and pursuing art as a career.  I found a surplus of motivation living at home (with my parents) and working in restaurants...basically I couldn’t wait to start real life.  School was an easy outlet for creativity and a great resource of teachers and students.  In addition to learning 50% of about 20 software programs, I came away with this little nugget:  in learning you get out what you put in.  Meaning, the school does not make you an “artist” it simply provides you with a blueprint, you must decide what to build.  For me, deciding which area to specialize in was a difficult task, one I still don’t have an answer to.  The fact is, I love all aspects of art.  Fortunately, I didn’t really have to decide since I landed a job right after graduation.

 I still work for the same company, Masque Publishing, as a digital game artist.  We are a software company and create casual games for retail and online markets.  What we lack in main stream popularity we make up in quality and stability.  Our games are played world-wide and as a smaller company we are able to maintain a considerable amount of creative freedom.  Another advantage of working for a smaller company is that artists don’t get compartmentalized.  My tasks include illustration, 3D modeling, animation, graphic design, game design, and the joys of excel documentation. 

You could say this is a dream job, because it’s a job that allows me to pursue my dreams.  Besides work experience and many interesting freelance gigs, I strive to grow artistically on my own time.  For the last few years I’ve been focusing on digital illustration and painting.  My wife would say I have too many passions: music, drawing, video games, photography, sports and family to name a few.  She is my biggest supporter and harshest critic, the perfect combination.

So where does it end? Not sure, but I’ll leave you with this: If imagination is the road of life, which direction will it take you?

One of these days Zach is going to make his website active at METHODARTZ.NET