About

Ckaz Dean was born and raised in the Philippines to creative parents—her father, a civil engineer, and her late mother, an architect. Surrounded by design and structure, she developed an early love for drawing cartoons and an enduring fascination with color and texture. Her childhood was steeped in the vibrancy of  Filipino life: the vibrant cornucopia of bloom and bounty, the symphony of radiant pageantry in parades and fiestas, the lively jeepneys, bustling marketplaces, and the kaleidoscope of intricate indigenous weaves, bursting with vivid patterns and cultural storytelling. Even the sounds of the many dialects she heard seemed to her like colored textures,

shaping the way she would later approach her art.

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It wasn’t until her daughter was in high school that Ckaz realized she had a natural gift for drawing. Encouraged by classes at a local college, she discovered a passion for charcoal and oil painting, refining her skills under the guidance of world-renowned religious painter Del Parson. She developed a love for photorealism in charcoal and the luminous possibilities of oils, creating works that blend technical precision with a deep sense of atmosphere and spirit.

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Today, Ckaz is pursuing a degree in Fine Arts at Utah Tech University, where she has expanded her practice into ceramics and sculpture. She finds joy in working with clay, shaping whimsical, vibrant forms that reflect both her cultural roots and her imaginative spirit. For Ckaz, making art is both a blessing and a journey—an opportunity to translate the beauty in her mind into tangible forms, while learning from mentors, drawing inspiration from friends, and leaning on the steadfast support of her family.