About the Artist

Zac Payne

 Growing up in the suburbs of Oklahoma City I was introduced to art at a young age. My grandfather drew architecture, my other grandfather painted nature, and then there was my mom. She was my biggest influence in art. Getting me into art was not like most people. My mother saw art in everything and could draw it from memory. She didn’t show me the classical artists that you would think. Albrecht Durer became the artist we both admired and to this day is my favorite artist.
 In school I took every art class I could starting in the 7th grade. Drawing was my passion and pictures for friends, family, or just drawing on the back of my notebook seemed to drown out all the bad moods I had. Somehow, if I were having a bad day, I could block it all out with a pencil and paper. That was when I felt calm. Art was my escape. I never imagined that it would take me anywhere or that anyone would be interested in my work.
 Fast forward 20 years from high school graduation; now living in Idaho, a MSgt in the US Air Force and children of my own, I had let my art slide to the back burner. Then one day something happened… My 6 year old daughter asked me to paint with her. My love of pencil and paper then turned to paint and canvas. The artist in me was back. Shortly after that, an old friend reached out to me and my life forever changed. You see, this was a friend from Junior High School who had just come across one of my old pictures that I had drawn for her. That picture from over 20+ years ago led us back to each other, reminiscing led to friendship, that friendship turned into best friends and guess what? That’s right…we are now married. She came back into my life during a very rough time and reminded me of the passion I once had for art. For an artist, that makes for a pretty great love story.
 My wife, Amy, is my biggest supporter so when I had the crazy idea to try painting in a whole new unique style, she was the first one on board. Now here we are. I simply wanted to create unique paintings to hang in my home. Little did I know that very first painting would strike a chord with so many and explode into what has become customCHAOS by zac. My paintings are now hanging in homes and offices across the country and have even begun making their way across the globe. December of 2021 I had the honor of showcasing my paintings as the Featured Local Artist of the Month. With 2022 off to an amazing start, I am looking forward to another year of growth as an artist. Thank you all for the incredible feedback and the ever growing support.