V. K. Killer
——Czech Artist——

Vaclav K. Killer was born on 1960 in Prague. Gained his artistic education at Jaroslav Hořánek’s atelier in 1983. For many years he has been working as an art editor for magazines, later as an art director of an exclusive magazine for women.

Dozens of illustrations, drawings, mercantiles and works of typography are dated to this period. Although he discovered his life´s passion for ships and sea early in his childhood (when he was introduced to René Gregr’ s book called Rulers of the Oceans), for a long time, it was just a hobby that would later become a significant part of his artistic work.

Both ships and the sea play a major role in his work. This favorite theme of his is being elaborated not just as scenes depicting the narrative of a specific ship from the history, but also as fictional dreamlike sceneries. At times the sea itself can be in the painting only caught by a glimpse. In his work he mainly focuses on historical times, when unmapped seas were cruised by brave men on sailing ships.

Though his interests in historical periods are much wider, ranging from the era of Christopher Columbus up until the beginning of the twentieth century, in which the power of the wind has been replaced by the power of a steam engine. Another significant passion often reflected in his work also related to the sea motif is history of the Austro-Hungarian navy, which is to these day almost forgotten.

Oil on canvas is his technique of choice. In his work he puts a lot of emphasis on the ships not to be just blank representations but to be portrayed in detail and with historical accuracy, while trying to set the ships into a scene and background typical for them.

At is solo 2015 exhibition in the Museum of Transport in Bratislava his works have naturally blended in with the technical exhibits.

2018 in Ostrava at the Orchard Gallery he also introduced his works depicting almost mystical landscapes, the sea being the focus in most of them.

In 2019 he was asked by the museum in Innsbruck to borrow some of his works for a exhibition on the Austro-Hungarian navy.

Up to this date his paintings found their way into several private collections not only in Europe, but also overseas.