Eugene V. Tanski was born in 1936 to first generation Polish émigés Victor and Eugenia in Cleveland, Ohio. Gene has always possessed artistic expression, even as a child. At age nine, he contracted polio and was confined to a bed for two years. It was during this time that he began drawing pictures and scenes that he remembered from the world outside his family’s home. As young as age fourteen, Gene’s work displayed the strong visual and spiritual qualities often associated with the work of Georges Rouault.
Gene continued to excel in the arts through high school. Next medical school prepared him for a successful career as a world-renowned plastic surgeon. Dr. Eugene Tanski’s work transformed the lives of a countless number of people. He was the first plastic surgeon to establish a freestanding surgical clinic and he revolutionized the field of plastic surgery by integrating photography and video into his practice, which now is standard operating procedure.
Gene was never far from a camera, which accompanied him on his many world travels. While in Japan, he was influenced by the art and esthetics of Haiku. It was then that Gene embarked on an apprenticeship with a Japanese artist, Sho Kiddoro, learning the fine art of woodblock printing.
Gene currently resides in Loveland, Colorado where he continues to be inspired by the natural beauty of his surroundings. He’s known as much for his photography as for his extraordinary sculptures and woodturnings, which have been seen in galleries and art shows around the world. Now at the peak of his narrative and technical expertise, Gene’s artwork is the full expression of his world – one of broad experience, deep intellectual insights and profound spirituality.