My name is Lua Lazarovic, and I am an architect and free-time illustrator with a young and growing family. I am one of those boring day-job people you would never dream hide anything more interesting than what is visible at first sight. 

I currently live in Hilversum, The Netherlands, but my dream is to one day live in Scotland. I love reading (especially) fantasy and sci-fi novels, and watching Studio Ghibli animations, as they entice my imagination and inspire me.

I have always been drawn to drawing and writing, ever since childhood. These two ways of expressing myself came naturally and allowed me to think about things, reiterate daily events, add beauty and meaning to them and enrich them. There was no judge and jury to evaluate me for what I was doing, so I persevered with pleasure in these two endeavors.

At some point, I realized I do not have the technical abilities to draw all the images in my head so I started practicing by drawing from reality. It started with plants and animals and I slowly graduated to food. It seemed to be a subject that people particularly enjoyed, so I persevered, but I don't consider myself as being exclusively focused on it.

Food is a source of inspiration in as much as it looks pleasing to the eye, has interesting textures and colors, and allows me to learn new rendering techniques. It is an exercise in drawing, which grew into more than that due to it gathering an audience on social media platforms. When I really draw, I don't have a plan. A reference image will attract me, I will start making a study of it, and I will add a lot of fantasy to that study as I go along. It comes from somewhere within, where I don't overthink and I don't plan—it just flows out. And I think this is true freedom, as I understand the term.

I draw a lot of things, from plants, animals to complex images with a high degree of symbolism. Practically, anything can become a subject with the right reference images. I draw a line at the scenery—for some reason I was never able (or patient enough) to draw landscapes. I have to admit that I am primarily fascinated by the human body and would like to improve my skills in drawing it, especially facial features.

It will come as no surprise that I like food indiscriminately—there are very few things I dislike and I am generally curious to try out new things. I am not a great cook, and rarely have the time for anything too elaborate. I'm more on the side of 'enjoying' food than of making it.

Favorite foods are numerous and differ with the season and mood. I would say that at the moment I am dreaming of a nice rotisserie chicken with a side of oven-baked potatoes and garlic sauce.

It gives me a boost of self-confidence and brightens my day when my artworks make people happy and appreciative of my skills. It's not like I am contributing to a greater cause, but it does improve my mood—sometimes that is enough of a 'greater cause' for me.