MELBOURNE artist Karin Zeller's artwork usually hangs on walls - now it is featured on the tail of a Czech fighter jet.
The artist from Altona Meadows in Melbourne’s southwest was surprised when the Czech Air Force contacted her to use her colourful artwork of a tiger on one of their aircraft after discovering it online.
Ms Zeller created the original piece in 1990 for herself but traded it to her brother for a computer before she knew how popular it would be.
The original is lost somewhere in Guyana on the northern coast of South America after her brother’s family vacated their home when he was killed in a motorcycle accident.
"I painted it for myself and I traded it to my brother for a computer, and he took the painting when he moved from Canada to Guyana,” she said.
"He was killed in a motorcycle accident and the painting was abandoned and the original is lost somewhere still in Guyana when the family moved.
Fortunately I had an image of it, which I uploaded on to my website, and now it has taken a life of its own and become very popular.”
Ms Zeller was approached a few months ago after a pilot from the Czech Air Force discovered the piece on the internet.
"It was a real thrill when I found out and of course I said yes to it being featured on the aircraft,” she said.
"There is something very exciting and unusual about it as most of my work features in public places or on the internet.”
The artwork won second prize for best painted aircraft at this year’s NATO Tiger Meet in Norway and was used by the air force for its fighter jet competition.
Ms Zeller was born in Germany, lived in Canada for 25 years and migrated to Australia in 1993 with her husband and two children.
