Jacek Yerka - poland
Jacek Yerka (born Jacek Kowalski in 1952) is a Polish surrealist painter from Torun. Yerka's work has been exhibited in Poland, Germany, Monaco, France, and the United States, and may be found in the museums of Poland.
He was born into an artistic family with both his parents graduates from a local Fine Art Academy.
His earliest memories were of paints, inks, paper, rubbers and brushes. As a child, Yerka loved to draw and make sculptures.
He hated playing outside, and preferred to sit down with a pencil, creating and exploring his own world.
This difference between the other children in his primary school led to social problems with his peers and Yerka describes his primary school life as being a "grey, sometimes horrifying reality".
However, Yerka later became 'untouchable' in his high school due to his clever sketches of the school's worst bullies.
During his studies at the Academy, each day was split into two sections.
In the morning and afternoon he had to do tests, projects and attend lectures, and during the evening he was given a couple hours to work at a painting that was shown only to his family and friends.
He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, specializing in printmaking.