Pizza Art

We started an art contest in the mid-1980s and have continued the tradition every few years or so since then. We now have over 300 pieces of Zachary’s pizza art from the past three decades! The winning artwork decorates the walls in all five of our restaurants. We love the art and the artists and are excited and honored to be able to share some of the art on our website!

Cartoon of a person in blue overalls and a cap walking with a large pizza on their head. They are next to a brick wall with a Zacharys Chicago Pizza sign, and the text Keep on Cookin is above. A yellow fence and houses are in the background.

Larry Holstrom

2007

Illustrated poster of a boy looking up at a large pepperoni pizza. Text reads The Pizza of Your Dreams! with Zacharys vertically on the right. The boy wears a shirt with the Zacharys logo.

Raquel Royal

2011

A colorful painting of a butterfly with yellow and red wings. Above it is a sun with Zacharys written inside. Below, flowers in red, white, and blue, a bee hovering, and a brown rabbit are set against a blue sky background.

Pizza Butterfly

Emma Ruth, age 6

2012

“When I first mentioned the art contest to Emma (she was six at the time) her immediate response was “C’mon, let’s get started!” She then began producing sketches. One of these had a couple of butterfly’s, but originally with more normal butterfly wings with pizza slices as the wing pattern. I made the suggestion the design could be strengthened by having the wings BE pizza slices, and the final composition was arrived at!”

A poster titled The Mark of Zacharys features a silhouette of a caped rider on a horse, holding a pizza slice. The background has red and orange swirls. The words Chicago Pizza are at the bottom corners.

Donna and Tony Aweeka

2009

Donna and Tony Aweeka bw

“On May 27, 2008 our wonderful rescued mare, Satin’s Fancy, presented us with a beautiful black filly…unexpectedly. We named her Satin’s Prize, S’Prize for short. When we began this piece we knew we wanted Zorro on a black horse, hence S’Prize. The rest just fell into place, as art projects usually do. We had a good time with this one, letting it unfold as it developed a life of its own. Tony was the model for Zorro, and a Zachary’s pizza box gave us some inspiration, as well as a GREAT pizza.” – Donna Aweeka

Illustrated poster titled Zacharys Deep Dish Pizza features a muscular man holding two steaming pizzas with World Famous and Champion on his belt. The background is red and orange with cartoon style typography.

Weightlifter

2005

Chuck Waite

Illustration of a smiling figure resembling a Buddha holding a pizza slice on a string. The figure sits with a box labeled Zacharys Chicago Pizza, under a red Zen circle with the word Zen inside. Text reads Zacharys Chicago Pizza Inc.

Tom Galvin

2009

A man in a suit and bowler hat holds an umbrella, standing with his back facing the viewer. He gazes at an abstract artwork featuring dynamic red, black, and white swirls. The name Zacharys is at the top, with Its a matter of taste below.

The ConnoisseurHannah de Vries

2015

My name is Hannah de Vries and art has been my passion from a very young age. My entry was inspired by a famous Norman Rockwell painting called “The Connoisseur.” I alluded to the uniqueness of Zachary’s Pizza by making comparisons to the historical context behind Abstract Expressionism of the 1940’s, a subject that I have studied in school. I worked tirelessly for about three days at a wonderful art gallery called ArtU4ia in downtown Martinez to complete this piece. The most fun I had working on it was by far doing the drip pizza; I loved getting messy and wild with the house paint!

I always loved seeing the art that hung on the walls at the Zachary’s College location, and I aspired to enter their art competition for years! Once the Pleasant Hill location opened up closer to my home town, I finally took the opportunity to create something that I was proud to call my own.

Colorful drawing featuring a large pizza labeled Zacharys in the center. Surrounded by playful animal figures, hearts, and phrases such as I love Zacharys Pizza! and It has cheese in it. A whimsical and fun design with vibrant colors.

Simone Gardner

2015

Colorful artwork of a person in bed, dreaming of a large pepperoni pizza. Text reads Dreaming of Zacharys Pizza. The room is filled with stars, a dresser with fruit, and a window showing a crescent moon.

Lauren Ari

2009

“Lauren’s art roars out of the deepest part of her psyche and arrives with great tenderness into the world… Fiercely honest, playful, erotic and provocative, she speaks directly to what is still unfettered in all of us, our wild, free, animal selves.” – Alison Luterman, poet

When I’m lucky -when I trust the processes- I experience a flow and receive what feels like a gift. Although my work is personal, I believe it taps into the universal, and I am looking to connect with others and myself more deeply. These are words I associate with my work: intuitive, awake, unstuffed, humorous, rhythmic, disturbing, engrossing, sexual, figurative, colorful, unique and complex. It is my hope that you will enjoy experiencing the work as much as I enjoy making it. – Lauren Ari

laurenari.com

Colorful underwater scene with a dolphin, pufferfish, purple fish, and pink seahorse surrounding a large clam with a pearl inside. Text reads Precious as a Pearl and Zacharys with bubbles and seaweed accents.

Naumi Emoto, 13 years old

2012

A surreal painting of a pizza slice with a human face, featuring blue eyes and a red mouth. It wears a blue hat and suit, holding a movie camera. The background has Zacharys Chicago Pizza written in red.

Chris Papa

2001

Retro sci-fi poster titled Forbidden Pizza features a robot holding a pizza. It advertises pizza with titles like Psycho Spinach and Bleu Velvet Cheese, with a UFO and alien landscape in the background.

Bill Crews

2009

A vibrant painting of two exaggerated high-heeled shoes shaped like pizzas, with pepperoni and cheese. The text Zacharys appears twice, and Walking on Sunshine! is written in blue on a bright yellow background.

Close-up of a person wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, outdoors on a sunny day. They are lying on green grass with a slight smile, looking at the camera. The lighting highlights one side of their face.Zoe Boston

2017

“Walking on Sunshine” was inspired by my passion for food, visual art, and fashion. I love the challenge of combining the three to make tasty looking masterpieces. I believe Great food, great art and, great fashion have the power to uplift your spirits and truly make you feel like you’re walking on sunshine! I’m so pleased in knowing that my art was chosen to grace the walls of one of the best pizza places in the Bay Area.

SOLD in our 2018 Art Sale and Fundraiser!
Colorful abstract painting featuring the bold word Zacharys in gold against a blue background, with swirling patterns and bright shapes in red, green, yellow, and orange surrounding it.

Starry Night

2005

Beata Engl

Poster for Zacharys: The Rise of the Dough! features a pizza slice above a city skyline with text: Wind-Altering!, Mouth-Watering!, Conquering the World! A person holds a Zacharys pizza box at the bottom.

Ian Ransley

2009

Ian-Fabien-Dylan-Ransley

Ian Ransley is a single father of two Zachary’s-loving boys. Ian is a Berkeley native and a professional graphic designer. He splits his time designing Zachary’s posters and designing for professional sports teams and events including the NHL Winter Classic and the NFL Super Bowl among many other events. He is a dual-citizen of the U.S. And Great Britain. Growing up in a British home he never had pizza so Ian can’t get enough of it now. Ian annoys his two sons using them time and again in many of his art projects.

A retro-style poster featuring a person in a futuristic suit looking at a round pie on a yellow surface, with text reading Zacharys 81¢ and In The Oven. The background is a blend of green and yellow hues.

Lois Rosson

2015

 

Illustration of a cartoon character holding a slice of pepperoni pizza. The background is blue, with the text ENJOY at the top and ZACHARYS PIZZA at the bottom in stylized letters. The character appears joyful and anticipatory.

Pete Docter
I like to draw and paint yet don’t do it often enough. The allure of winning free pizza was strong and I made a few posters.
Influences: 1950’s poster design, especially Paul Rand, Cassandre, and Raymond Savignac. Also children’s book illustrator Roy McKee (he illustrated the Dr. Seuss books “Ten Apples Up on Top” and “Snow”).
My whole family loves Zachary’s Pizza, though we’re divided over which is best: stuffed pesto mushroom or stuffed pepperoni. Actually thin crust sausage onion is pretty good too. When both of our kids were born, we smuggled Zachary’s into the maternity ward.

A retro-style illustration of a smiling woman serving pizza to a family at a table, featuring the text, I only feed my family the best, and only Zacharys Chicago-style pizza has vitamin Z! The family appears joyful with a large pizza in front.

Vitamin Z

2001

Danny Hauck

A colorful painting features a pink background with a cat on a pizza atop a table. Speech bubbles say, cats live longer if they eat pizza, among other playful cat-related notes. A seated cat holds a drink. Text reads Pizza-Crazy Cats!.

Sophia Maria Brown

2017

Age 10

I fell in love with Zachary’s pizza the first time it touched the tip of my tongue. I loved doing the artwork and it was a bonus to win twice! I think everyone should participate. Love live Zachary’s!

Stylized illustration of a building with a large pizza on the roof. The building is labeled Museum of Modern Pizza in white letters on a red background. Geometric patterns and abstract forms surround the central pizza motif.

Museum of Modern Pizza

1980’s

Artist Unknown