ZAE is a third-generation multidisciplinary artist whose creative journey began before he could speak. Born in Pasadena, California, his relationship with art was shaped early by his mother, an art teacher, and has continued for nearly six decades.
Known for his large-scale, expressive abstract paintings, ZAE creates work driven by color, movement, emotion, memory, freedom, and imagination. His practice extends beyond abstraction into drawing, mixed media, sculpture, and other forms of visual expression. Rather than working within a single style, ZAE approaches each work as an exploration of what art can become.
His work has been acquired and collected by private, corporate, and institutional collectors in the United States and internationally, with exhibitions and placements spanning California, New York, Georgia, and beyond.
ZAE’s artistic career has also brought recognition from respected figures within the art world. His work was recognized by Lanier Graham, former curator at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), with whom ZAE co-authored The Color of Light. His work has also been recognized by Johnny Sampson of the Catalina Island Museum.
Beyond the studio, ZAE has built a distinguished career in film, television, and professional production, working as a camera operator, director, and production professional across broadcast, entertainment, corporate, and documentary projects. His production career has included work with major institutions, artists, public figures, national broadcasts, and entertainment productions.
Across every medium, ZAE remains committed to one central idea: art is freedom. His work is an ongoing visual conversation between experience and imagination, where color becomes emotion, texture becomes memory, and every canvas becomes an opportunity to explore something that cannot always be expressed in words.