Drew Sarka and his father, Don, were shopping for medical school textbooks at the UF Bookstore when his father spotted an oil paint set and canvas.

“My dad thought it would be good for me to have some balance in my life. I studied all the time. You need something else to enjoy and have a passion for,” says Sarka, a 1996 graduate of the UF College of Medicine. “He planted a seed that day.”

Working on those first oil paintings provided Sarka with an escape from the tedium of memorizing facts, and it improved his performance as a medical student.

Today, Sarka is a family physician in Colorado and an accomplished artist whose oil paintings have appeared in shows and galleries across the country — most notably the Oil Painters of America and American Impressionist Society national shows. His work is currently showing at the Cherry Creek Art Gallery in Denver. He says having a creative outlet makes him a better doctor.

“It helps you relate to your patients on more than one level,” he says. “When you have a variety of experiences in your life, you have more to offer your patients not only on a medical level but on a human level. You can relate to their passions and dreams.”

After medical school, Sarka completed a residency in family medicine at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver. When his residency ended, he devoted more time to painting. He focused on landscapes, highlighting the natural beauty of Colorado’s flora and fauna. He deems medicine his calling, but painting is his passion.

“As a child, I knew I wanted to be a physician. I knew I wanted to have long-term relationships with patients,” Sarka says. “With painting, it’s almost a meditative experience. If I’m painting for an hour or two, it quiets my mind in a very focused way. Things that allow you to appreciate beauty for beauty’s sake without a lot of rules are nice.”

Sarka’s goal in creating art is simple yet powerful. He wants to create beauty on the canvas, beauty that can be shared with those in need.

“I see patients I care about who are struggling with pain and illness. I try to create positive images in my paintings that can be inspiring to them,” he says. “These images are typical of what’s around me, but they are painted in such a way as to remind people that you don’t have to go far to see beauty. You just have to take a little time to look for it.”