Dušan Kadlec was a Czech-Canadian painter, born in Humpolec, Czechoslovakia. He pursued his interest in art from a very early age, ultimately studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague where he received a master's degree in 1967. His studies there covered twenty-two subjects, including bookbinding, papermaking, drawing, painting, portraiture, as well as the more conventional subjects of history, political economics, languages, and math. His undergraduate and graduate training focused on traditional painting techniques but also explored aspects of sculpture, jewellery design, art restoration, and architecture. While a student at the academy, he specialized in figurative painting and portraiture.