Some painters are drawn to the landscape. Alex Dzigurski II was born into it.
Alex Dzigurski II
Growing up in his father’s studio — the elder Dzigurski a celebrated landscape painter in his own right — Alex absorbed the creative process from the inside out. Family travels took him to Glacier National Park and the Grand Tetons, the coastlines of Oregon and Washington, the Sierra Nevada, the deserts of Arizona, the vast open landscapes of Alberta and British Columbia. Overseas, he found inspiration in Norway, Switzerland, France, and Italy, as well as his father’s native Yugoslavia. By the time he became a professional painter, he had accumulated a lifetime of direct encounters with extraordinary terrain — and the eye to do something with it.
Alex Dzigurski, “Silver Breakers, Big Sur, California,” oil, 30 x 48 in., private collection
His paintings reflect that breadth. A 40 x 60-inch canvas inspired by a single evening along the Big Sur coastline. A sunset study from the Ventana coast. Plein air work made along 17 Mile Drive in Carmel, where the light and color stopped him in his tracks. Studio compositions drawn from sketches made in Alberta, where the landscape demanded to be revisited long after the trip was over. In every case, the work is grounded in direct observation — in the memory of actually having been somewhere, brush in hand, paying full attention.
Alex Dzigurski, “Haystacks Along Cannon Beach, Oregon,” oil 24 x 36 in., private collection
Today, Dzigurski continues to paint and teach despite living with multiple sclerosis. He works from his wheelchair, and while his capacity has changed, his commitment has not. “I am grateful and thank God every day that I am still able to paint,” he says. The greatest challenge, he acknowledges, is no longer being able to paint outdoors as often — but an extensive archive of sketches and photographs from decades of travel keeps the work alive and moving forward. “I love what I do,” he says, “and will continue to paint, as well as guide and mentor young artists, in any way possible.”
Alex Dzigurski, “Eastern Sierras,” oil, 24 x 30 in., available
His advice to those young artists is worth passing along. “Loosen up,” he says simply. “Do not be afraid to make mistakes — they are essential to the process.” He estimates that every successful painting is the result of at least a thousand revisions. Not a thousand paintings. A thousand revisions within each one. “Be tenacious, stay inspired, and strive to make each new painting better than the last. If you stick with it, you will be amazed by your own evolution.”
Alex Dzigurski, “Moonlight at Nepenthe,” oil, 16 x 20 in., available at Classic art galleries Carmel California
It is the kind of advice that can only come from someone who has actually lived it — through extraordinary landscapes, through a changed body, through decades of showing up at the canvas regardless of the conditions. Alex Dzigurski II is still painting. And the work is still remarkable.
