ABOUT ME

ART

Art for me, is play;  the freedom to engage with scenes around me and fashion them to my fancy.   Painting enables me to enjoy creation selectively: I select moments from my memory or elements of photos that catch my eye and blend. 

I think we need more play in our lives: more permission to experiment and explore and enjoy, regardless of a 'success' factor. 

I hope that as you view my work, you find refreshment and  feel the calm of breezy landscapes or the dancing energy of a sunny day.

ABOUT

My paintings flow from the stunning natural scenery of the places I’ve lived, as well as from interactions with the wonderful people who have made those places my home.

I was raised in Cambridge, England where I lived until age 8 when I moved to Virginia, where I have lived ever since. For every summer of my 21 years, my family joined my grandparents in their home on Nantucket Island near Cape Cod.

In the busyness of work and classes, I find rest in painting fresh landscapes in a loose, breezy, gentle style; my landscapes are often inspired by the green cow pastures and foggy, windswept moors from my childhood, and the rolling hills of the Charlottesville near the University of Virginia where I now live. More days than not, clouds of brilliant colors or complex layers draw my gaze and stop me dead in my tracks; as such, my landscapes often feature peaceful or dynamic skies full of clouds of all shapes and styles and sorts.

During slower times like hot summer afternoons, dusky winter evenings or the months I spent recovering from surgery, I energize myself by playing with vibrant abstracts, underpainting with lively colors and bold textures. As an extrovert, my abstract paintings are often animated by the chatter of social gatherings, the hum of city life, or the tunes of a solid summer playlist.   

I am self-taught: I never had formal training with art classes or a residency program, but rather began painting in an independent period in high school. Since then, I paint when I feel like the drive – sometimes for multiple days a week, other times not for months.

I primarily paint with acrylic on canvas or hardboard, though I dabble in watercolor and gouache too. When I need to wrestle through thoughts and emotions that cannot be played out on canvas or buried in my garden, I repair and refinish furniture, finding calm in the gritty work of sawing and sanding.

Thank you for walking this journey with me as I grow my skills and vision as an artist.

~ Victoria