My Story

Monica Martino

Hello, I’m Monica.

My career as an artist started by accident (literally). In my former life I was an Emmy-nominated TV producer and for many years I specialized in what I call the “guys in jeopardy” genre — shows like “Deadliest Catch,” “Whale Wars,” “Storm Chasers,” and others. In 2012, while filming in the Amazon, I almost died in a terrible boat accident.

During the long recovery from multiple surgeries, I started painting and drawing as an escape. I credit this passion and my dark sense of humor for getting me through a difficult and painful recovery. Once I had recovered from my injuries, I realized that I didn’t want to give up the creative outlet I had found.

I founded Lemon Zesty in 2017 to focus on “fresh art with a sour twist.” My goal as an artist is to chronicle the absurdity and weirdness of everyday life while honoring all its messy, awesome and perplexing facets. Working in watercolor, pen and ink, gouache, and marker, my work could best be described as “visual sarcasm.”

Recently, I have found an outlet in the topical commentary, and my political designs have appeared in The New Yorker, USA Today, PBS Online, Time Out New York, Huffington Post and several international publications.