Since my childhood, I have had a wide range of hobbies. I was interested in nature, especially biology and botany, which together with my family background influenced me in choosing my future profession. At the same time, I have always had an interest in art and an aptitude for painting. For some time, I flirted with the idea of studying art, but eventually, following my father's example, medicine and clinical microbiology won out. Painting has come up periodically at various times in my life, but it has never become a systematic program due to the demands of my profession. Just before the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, I took a course in drawing and painting led by Jiří Grus at the Trutnovְ’s Art School. Once again, I could see the beneficial effect of painting on my inner life. At the same time, I gained further confidence thanks to the interest of people around me in my creations. Then the restrictions associated with COVID-19 began. At the time, I was already partially retired and as a typical workaholic, I was looking for things to do. I started painting regularly five years ago. Since then I have made over 1200 paintings. I make acrylic paintings, and a fraction of my work consists of drawings and studies for paintings. I started with flowers and landscapes, but eventually, I was tempted to try figurative painting (following another course led by Jiří Grus) and especially portraiture. This was perhaps because I like challenges. Mostly I make paintings based on my photos, which I take with the intent to use them precisely for my paintings. I take photos all the time and paint several paintings a week. Earlier on I used to paint daily. All this time, Jiří Grus has been my kind online mentor. His insightful opinions and comments help me to push my work further. An interesting experience was my first exhibition of paintings at Mr. Groh’s Hippo Gallery in Trutnov. I found out that the viewers liked my paintings and I sold many of them. Today, you can see my paintings not only in my fans’ homes, but they are also exhibited for example in Žižka’s Lodge in Pec pod Sněžkou or Kladenka Mountain Hotel in Velká Úpa. My last exhibition took place in the Evangelical Church of Janské Lázně at the ecumenical gathering of the ESBU Association. Having no formal art education, I am an autodidact drawing lessons from my own mistakes, from literature, and last but not least from courses I have sought out in moments of creative crises. This is also how I discovered the Atelier of Drawing and Painting at Balbínka, Prague, on the internet. I took a semester course in figure drawing and painting led by Mr. Ildar Youssoupov. There I also met the lecturers Adrian T. Bell and Blanka Křemenová and I soaked up their criticism, suggestions, and opinions like a sponge. Indeed, I find the art community very refreshing after the ascetic life in the lab as it brings a concrete direction and depth to my work. To me, painting means a certain spiritual overlap and the hard-to-describe flow experiences I have while painting. Recently, I attended a lecture on how to perceive art by Prof. Kokolia at the Evangelical Rectory in Trutnov which meant a lot to me. I also find his Dictionary of Graphic Art 2 very inspiring.