Karin Zukowski, a/k/a Karizu, a published, award-winning artist and illustrator, emigrated to the United States from Vienna, Austria in 1964. While residing in the New York area, she attended classes at F.I.T., Parsons School of Art & Design, Pratt, Society of Illustrators, and Nyack Center for the Arts. Upon relocating to Sarasota, Florida with her family, she obtained a BFA from Ringling College of Art & Design. Karizu's interest in expressive, surrealist and outsider art inspired her to hold classes for incarcerated teens and adults in drawing, painting, and other forms of artistic expression. Additional teaching engagements include a watercolor class in Tuscany, Italy; drawing classes at the Lifelong Learning Academy/USF, Sarasota, Florida; producing art with seniors at local facilities, and working on creative projects with private clients. Karizu's paintings and illustrations have been featured on book covers, published in the Sarasota Herald Tribune, Sarasota Magazine, and various other publications. The originals are held in private collections in the United States and abroad.