Miroslav Pavlíček
I was born on August 8, 1961 in Chlumec nad Cidlinou, in the Hradec Králové region (Czech Republic). As I have no brothers nor sisters, I often was home alone. I had different hobbies, but drawing became my favourite. I think that learning to draw is about as difficult as to drive a car, to play the piano or ice hockey. It is important to enjoy drawing and to keep an open eye, observing attentively what is happening around you.
I never had a formal education in drawing, at any art school or amateur club. My first cartoon joke I created when studying at secondary Veterinary School in Hradec Králové, during one of the lessons.
At that time I was drawing only to amuse my schoolmates and friends – my works were then passed around the classroom, for all to see.
After graduation from high school I worked for one year in a policlinic for small animals, at the Department for Internal Medicine of the Veterinary University in Brno. At that time many veterinary jokes originated – my job was the best source of inspiration. There were days when 30, even 40 jokes came to my mind (those were great times), which I drew the next day. After such an intense effort a pause of a few weeks usually followed. I began to make pictures for the waiting room of our clinic and also worked as an illustrator and publisher of our school magazine.
In 1981 I started my academic studies at the Veterinary University in Brno. My ability to make funny drawings helped me also in my studies. At that time I invented a veterinary anatomy of my own, also my personal histology and embryology, and experienced my first successes in art. My cartoons were published in the Brno Evening Newspaper, but by mistake under the name of another author. In spite of that I was very pleased.
After finishing my studies I worked at the State Veterinary Institute in Pardubice, Department of Parasitology, very often visiting its internal medicine department. Three years later, after the compulsory military service, I got a job at the State Veterinary Institute in Hradec Králové, Department of Pathology and Histology. In 1998, I was employed by Pfizer, simultaneously working at a private veterinary clinic in Hradec Králové, where I specialized in skin diseases. I finally decided to work there full time, which I have done ever since.
Apart from drawing I like skiing and cycling, and above all: travelling.
Collective exhibitions: Brno 1979, Hradec Králové 1995
Individual exhibitions: Brno 1991, Bechyně 1987, Boxmeer (Netherlands), Prague 2006
Book illustrations:
- When Veterinary is smiling (1991 MVDr. Karel Krška)
- Veterinary in paradise (1992 MVDr. Slavomír Šebek)
- Dobermann Pinscher (1999 MVDr. Ivana Lupečková)
- Veterinary’s smiles (1999 MVDr. Dušan Vintera)
- Gamekeeper’s smiles ( 2000 František Málek )
- Smiles from zoo (2001 Vladimír Cerha)
- Teacher’s smiles (2001 Viera Špičáková)
- Betty and her friends (2001 Zuzana Francková)
- Policeman’s smiles (2002 Vladimir Mikulášek)
- In the light of proofs (2005 Publisher PLOT)
- Absurdity from Inv. Documents (2006 MUDr. Josef Pleskot)
- Breedings of llamas (2006 Ing. Dušan Šuhajda)
Miscellaneous: veterinary calendars 1990,1997, photo/cinema calendars 1995, 1996; illustrations for advertisements.