Tomáš Stojec, a Czech chef-turned-airbrush artist who spent years building a career in Prague, has moved to the north of Cyprus, drawn by the island's climate, nature and sea. Settling on the island in 2023 with his cat Charlie, he now lives in Karmi, a village in the Kyrenia district. "From the first day I knew this was the place I had been looking for," he said.
Karmi, also known as Karaman, takes its name from the Karmi Necropolis, a group of rock-cut chamber tombs dating to the Middle Bronze Age. Known for its narrow lanes, whitewashed houses, wooden doors and shutters and gardens full of bougainvillea, the village is especially popular with British and other European residents. Stojec initially rented a home before buying a small house in Karmi in 2024.
Born in 1972 in what was then Czechoslovakia's Czech lands, Stojec trained as a chef, worked as a cook for several years and then ran his own restaurant for a decade. Realising that cooking for large numbers of people did not make him happy, he sold the restaurant and, with a friend, founded one of the first vehicle customisation workshops in the Czech Republic. It was then that he discovered airbrushing, teaching himself in his own garage and refining his technique over roughly 15 years, inspired by the graphic styles of the 1970s and 1980s. "It is work that requires patience, a steady hand and precision, which is why many people gave up while still learning," he said.
Stojec described meeting Dimitri Marenkoff, owner of an airbrush supply shop, as a turning point. After seeing his work, Marenkoff invited him to exhibit at one of the Czech Republic's largest custom motorcycle shows, where the strong response led Stojec to leave the customisation business and devote himself fully to airbrushing. He uses specialist paints from the US, Japan, Britain and Spain, along with gold and silver leaf from Italy, and works without ready-made designs, sketching only a rough outline and creating patterns from memory. His most complex piece, he said, was a blue-toned design on a Harley Road Glide motorcycle that took 385 hours. He also makes designer lamps from wood and epoxy resin.
Stojec believes the north of Cyprus offers great potential for airbrush work on motorcycles, cars, helmets, surfboards and custom signs, adding that people's appreciation of handmade work motivates him. He first visited Cyprus in 2021 on Marenkoff's recommendation and returned four more times before deciding to move. "Here I have realised a dream I had for many years," he said, citing the warm, hospitable people, clean sea, striking nature and hot weather. Diving with sea turtles and watching hatchlings emerge were, he said, unforgettable experiences.
Describing Karmi as "one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen", Stojec said he uses English in daily life, as many locals speak it and most Karmi residents are foreigners, and speaks very little Turkish, which he finds complicated. He frequently visits Salamis, Buffavento and St Hilarion castles and his favourite, Kantara Castle, and knows Kyrenia, Iskele, Alsancak, Lapta and Karsiyaka well. Among Turkish Cypriot dishes he enjoys Turkish coffee, kebab and stuffed courgette flowers, which he used to cook in Prague. Still passionate about cooking, he now prefers preparing meals for friends and neighbours.
