The Zachary’s Art Contest may be officially closed, but the fun has just begun for us 🙂

We spent a fun (albeit very challenging) week voting on all of the amazing and creative artwork we received, both in person and online, for this year’s art contest! We were blown away by your creativity, humor, and skill, and had such a hard time narrowing down the submissions. Narrow them down we had to though, and the winning pieces have finally been chosen and their artists contacted as of last Friday!

We wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you who participated in this year’s contest. The Zachary’s Art Contest is one of our most cherished traditions and we love the ability to connect with you in such a fun and engaging way. Pieces not chosen as a winner can be picked up at the location it was submitted to until June 3, 2023. We plan on getting all the new art up over the course of June!

Big news, big news!! We’re extending the Zachary’s Art Contest until May 3rd! That’s an extra week and a half to get your artwork in! Didn’t start a piece and think you didn’t you had time, well, now you do! Especially if you’re one of those that do great under pressure ????

Good news is we still have limited amounts at ALL locations! Sizes do varying by location though- so if you have your heart set on a specific size feel free to use your own paper! Graphic designs can be submitted to artcontest@zacharys.com. For full details on submission rules and guidelines click HERE!

Calling all artists! There is an extra month to work on those beautiful art pieces! Pick up some free paper from any Zachary’s location and start your art today!

ALSO REMEMBER TO SHOW YOUR PROGRESS!
Tag #zacharysartcontest2019
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Zachary’s Art Contest is officially up and running!

How Does the Art Contest Work?

• Contest begins January 28, 2019 and ends May 1, 2019
• Contest is open to all ages, from the young to the young at heart
• The subject of the artwork should be Zachary’s Chicago Pizza and the artwork should include either our logo and/or name. You may use the medium of your choice, but we recommend VIBRANT, SATURATED choices like paint, dark pastels or digital art.  Colored pencils and crayons tend to get washed out against other pieces in our restaurant.  Please remember, some of the art will be hanging up high so utilize the space you are given.  Fill it up and make it bold!
• We are accepting four different sizes for art pieces (26 x 26, 24 x 36, 32 x 32, 36 X 48). Pre-cut paper is available at any Zachary’s location.
• All winning artwork and any reproductions of the artwork become property of Zachary’s Chicago Pizza and will not be returned.
• WINNERS PRIZES: $100 Zachary’s Gift Certificate & 2 Zachary’s Shirts
• Fill us in on your progress (social media links below!) #zacharysartcontest2019

Click HERE to download the rules and an official entry form.

Visit our art page to see more examples of winning art pieces! You can also see lots of examples of winning entries on the walls at each of our locations.

Think you got what it takes to make the wall?

We’re looking to add some unique, playful and creative art to our collection. As always, we welcome any and all participants!  Winners will receive a prize and their art will be displayed at one of our locations.

We can’t wait to see all the amazing entries this year!

We had an absolutely AMAZING 35th Anniversary celebration on July 25th! And, lucky for you, our celebration continues!

Here are some of the highlights:

• We created a collection of unique enamel pins that celebrate art, pizza, and local love. Each of our four restaurants (Oakland, Berkeley, San Ramon and Pleasant Hill) has its own exclusive design, so if you want the whole collection you’ll need to visit each location.
• We created a limited edition, 35th Anniversary t-shirt available for sale at all of our restaurants and online! Supplies are limited, so grab one soon!
• For the first time in Zachary’s history, we are selling select pieces of our beloved, custom-made art! All of the proceeds (100%!!!!!) from the art sale will go to the Alameda County Community Food Bank and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. The Alameda County Community Food Bank and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano are committed to fighting hunger and raising awareness around food and poverty. Among other challenges, the housing the crisis in the Bay Area has left many people and families without the means to feed themselves healthfully and adequately. Please unite with us as we step up and chip in! More info here!
• Faction Brewery created a fantastically delicious 35th Anniversary brew just for us! The Get Stuffed IPA is available at all of our location and in the Faction taproom for a limited time only. More info here!

Celebrating 35 Years of Zachary’s Art: Purchase a ‘Piece of the Pie’ and Support Our Local Food Banks!

For the first time in Zachary’s history, we are selling select pieces of our beloved, custom-made art in celebration of our 35th Anniversary! All of the proceeds (100%!!!!!) from the art sale will go to the Alameda County Community Food Bank and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.

The Alameda County Community Food Bank and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano are committed to fighting hunger and raising awareness around food and poverty. Among other challenges, the housing the crisis in the Bay Area has left many people and families without the means to feed themselves healthfully and adequately. Please unite with us as we step up and chip in!

When does the art sale start and end?

July 3rd-August 31st

How can I buy art?

Visit one of our locations and ask for an art buyer’s form or email art@zacharys.com

How can I find out what art is for sale?

You can request to buy any art you see in our restaurants that does not have a sold sticker on it! We will also be highlighting some pieces of art from our archives in an art catalog. The catalog will be available at all of our locations.

What if I want to buy a piece of art that I remember seeing on the wall last year?

Ask us about it! Email art@zacharys.com and we will try to locate the piece you remember.

Is the art framed?

You can buy the art framed or unframed.

How much does the art cost?

$100 unframed/$200 framed

When will I receive my art?

September or October 2018

The walls of our restaurants are filled with one-of-a-kind Zachary’s Pizza Art. We held our first art contest in the late 1980′s and the tradition has continued every couple of years since. We love our art and the artists. We are excited to be able to use our blog as a medium for our community to get to know our artists better.

Meet Sophia Maria Brown!

My name is Sophia Brown. Zachary’s is by far my favorite restaurant. I remember the first time I walked into Zachary’s at the Solano location and loved the art on the walls. It brought such happiness to my six year old face.

For my first painting, which was called Cat Zachary’s, we took a poster home and picked up some paints at Blick’s art store. I started thinking about ideas, and thought about my favorite animal, cats. I started sketching in pencil and all of the ideas came together, with the banner, Zachary’s two miles away, and a cardboard cat on a leash being walked by a cat that had a Zachary’s dress on. And then, while painting, my cat walked all over it, and he shed a lot, so some of his hair ended up in the final painting.

Two years later, I entered again with two paintings because I had remembered that someone else had entered and won twice. We went again to Blick’s art store and bought lots of paints. The first one that year was titled Deep Dish.  I had a small meme going through my head that I could make a pun with the deep dish pizza. This became, “We deliver the deep dish deep!” I started sketching and drew a beautiful sign that said, “Not all cats hate water”, and a cat in SCUBA gear that came out a lot better than I had imagined it. There is also a turtle delivering pizza, having come out of a yellow submarine.

For my third poster, Pizza-Crazy Cats, which was the same year as SCUBA cat, I started off with a sketch of  cat standing on a table eating pizza. It’s supposed to represent my orange and white cat, Lazer. My other cat, Milo, is sitting down very properly. There are a series of signs over them that say: “Cats rule, dogs drool!”; “Cats live longer if they eat pizza”; “One cannot live well if one has not loved cats and eaten pizza”; “The first cat in space ate pizza”; “Cheese is Life!”

I’ve lived in the Bay Area since 2012, and was born in 2006. I used to live in Amsterdam, The Netherlands for several years, but I was born in New Hampshire in 2006. I love animals. I have eight pets including cats, fish, a snail, a bearded dragon, and mice. I’m planning to get more if my parents allow it. I’ve played the piano since I was six, and am in an advanced piano program. I’m into theater as well, and am currently performing in The Sound of Music.

Thank you so much, Zachary’s! You’ve been a big part of my life and I will always love your pizza and visit you, especially on my birthday.

The walls of our restaurants are filled with one-of-a-kind Zachary’s Pizza Art. We held our first art contest in the late 1980′s and the tradition has continued every couple of years since. We love our art and the artists. We are excited to be able to use our blog as a medium for our community to get to know our artists better. Meet Ryan Pera!

My name is Ryan Pera and I was born and raised here in the Bay Area. I can say that I have been making art since a very young age, because that’s all that I remember doing growing up. I can honestly say that my first real toy was a pencil and the fat stack of white paper that my dad would bring home from work. Since my dad was an artist, I was always watching him either paint or draw. With time and practice, I got better. I was never a left-brained type of guy. No matter what it was that I did in life, I knew it had to be in the arts.

Today, I am finishing up my last year at California College of the Arts/CCA to get my bachelor’s degree in Illustration. To be able to create art through imagery, on a flat surface, and have someone asking questions and commenting on it, is what I live for. I love making art that can translate to the viewer even if it is as simple as this piece.

Ryan’s Piece, “Phases of Pizza”

It’s cool to know that I was able to enter a contest against someone I knew personally. Being much younger than I am, my nephew, Jalen, who is eight years old, was excited throughout the whole process of this contest. He focused more on sketching on pieces of napkin and paper at the restaurant rather than finishing his pizza.

For illustrations, making small thumbnail sketches is a quick and effective way to test out ideas for images, as well as ideas for the composition of the final piece, all of which my nephew was doing without me prompting him. He stayed up until 2 AM to work on the poster. He woke up early and continued to work until he got it done. I originally wanted him to enter the competition, because he was so excited. I didn’t care to enter with the little bit of time I had. With less than eight hours until the deadline, I decided to give it a shot, paint something and submit.

Jalen’s (Ryan’s nephew) Piece – “Golden Warriors”

To know that he (Jalen) was proud to enter his first art contest and get a feel for it was one thing, but to know how he felt when finding out he was a winner was another. It was most rewarding to know that I have a piece hanging next to my nephew’s piece in the same exact restaurant location in Pleasant Hill along with other great artists of all ages. Thank you Zachary’s!

CARNE PIZZA ALL DAY. BACON IS LIFE!

https://www.instagram.com/peranoid/

The walls of our restaurants are filled with one-of-a-kind Zachary’s Pizza Art. We held our first art contest in the late 1980′s and the tradition has continued every couple of years since. We love our art and the artists. We are excited to be able to use our blog as a medium for our community to get to know our artists better. Meet Stew Ellington!

For the first 30 years of my life, art was hugely important to me. At one time I had wanted to be an artist for a living. I made art in all sorts of media and in 2001 earned a master of fine arts degree in painting. After earning my degree, however, I completely lost interest in painting and avoided it for about 15 years. In fact, the poster I made for the Zachary’s contest is the first painting I’ve done since grad school! In the meantime, I’ve filled in the creative gaps of my life with photography and writing; I’ve designed and published two cocktail recipe books, among other creative projects.

I had wanted to enter the Zachary’s poster contest for years but could never think of an image I wanted to use. Plus, I was loath to pick up a paintbrush again for fear I would have lost my skills! Finally, it occurred to me I should just paint something I’m passionate about and make it work for the contest, and I happen to love vintage Italian Vespa scooters. The idea to create the front wheel out of a Zachary’s deep-dish pizza popped into my head and, eureka! I was on my way. I crossed my fingers and hoped I could still pull off a reasonably convincing painting after a 15-year hiatus.

I love how the Italian-ness of the scooter reflects the Italian(ish)-ness of pizza. I had a great time creating my poster in the style of vintage Vespa ads from Italy, with lots of bright, primary colors and cartoonish renderings. The official slogan of Vespa, “Not just a scooter… a lifestyle,” lent itself well to referencing Zachary’s pizza and providing a title for my piece. I’m really glad I was able to break my painting dry-spell with one that was so purely fun to do. Thanks, Zachary’s, for the opportunity and for years of awesome pizza! I’m so glad to finally be a part of this community event.