Zemka Carra is an award winning artist known for her lively watercolors and Oil paintings. Born in Zagreb, Croatia she can always remember having a great appreciation for beauty, expression, and a love of art. Zemka's work is both representational and expressionistic and has been exhibited in the New York Metropolitan area. Many of her paintings were done on commission and others can be found in private collections.

Her career began as an Occupational Therapist (OT) in Croatia, but her desire to be an artist enabled her to use her talent as a tool for art therapy. By using modalities like ceramics, modeling clay and painting, Zemka was able to encourage her patients to use the free expression of art in order to develop psycho-social and physical abilities that allowed them to successfully increase their independent living skills. 

Zemka emigrated to the United states in 1970 and continued her career as an Occupational Therapist but continued to pursue her love of painting and photography. Now in retirement, she devotes all her time to her love of art. Zemka lives in Manhattan on the Lower East Side of Manhattan with her husband Mario Carra, (also an artist) and they have a son Denis, a talented musician.

She received her art education in Zagreb with Professor Zoltan Gabor at the Academy of Fine Arts. Here in the United States, she studied Animation with Phil Simkin at York College, Photography with and Sculpture at LaGuardia Community College and at the Educational Alliance in NYC, Watercolors at the National Art League- with Edgar A. Whitney followed with Oil Painting study at the Art Students League with Isaac Sayer and David Leffel.

ART MEMBERSHIPS

• Salmagundi Club

• Composers, Authors and Artists of America (CAAA)

• National Association of Women Artists (NAWA)

• Photographic Society of America (PSA)

AWARDS RECEIVED

• Travel Exhibit Award WSOAE, 1979

• Kings Bay Boys' Club, Inc. Ladies Auxialiary WSOAE 1980

• Washington Sq. Business &  Professional Women's Club Award WSOAE 1981

• Irene C. Kenney Award WSOAE 1982

• Prize Winner CAAA (Composers, Authors & Artist of America) 1992

• Effie Bowie Award CAAA (Composers, Authors & Artist of America) 1998

• NAWA Inc. First Prize, Small Works Exhibition, Winter 2014

RECENT EXHIBITIONS 

Ev(e)olution VII "Onward" NAWA 2017

EV(e)OLUTION IV-"Envision Perseverance" Riverside NY Public Library, NYC 2014

"Visions Of The Mind" HUB-Robeson Center, PA, 2014

"Small Works Exhibition" NAWA NYC 2014

"National Photography Competition 2013" SOHO Photo NYC 2013

"124 Annual Exhibition" Sylvia Wald & Po Kim Gallery. NYC

Ev(e)olution VII "Onward" NAWA 2011