Distant Storm

Andrzej Skorut was born in 1969 in Krakow, Poland. This thousand-year-old city in Eastern Europe, with its impressive architecture, fine museums, and abundant works of art, is where Andrzej spent his early years. Such intensely aesthetic surroundings undoubtedly had a profound influence on Andrzej, who began painting at a very early age and had already decided to pursue a career as an artist by the time he finished elementary school. Despite fierce competition for places, Andrzej was accepted into the Art High School (Liceum Sztuk Plastycznych) whose stringent artistic standards stimulated his interest in art still further. In 1987 Andrzej emigrated to the United States, where he continued his art education receiving an ‘Honors at Entrance’ Scholarship. In 1995 he graduated from University of Utah as a PHI Kappa member, with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. Shortly afterwards, Andrzej was selected for a three months internship. This internship – a period of three months’ intense painting was unquestionably a key factor in determining Andrzej’s future. Inspired and encouraged, he returned to Salt Lake, rented a studio, and began painting full-time.