Biography
Victoria Veedell is an artist known for her atmospheric landscape paintings that capture the essence of nature. Her paintings convey the emotional memory of place and fleeting moments in time through layered use of light and color. By documenting these ephemeral experiences, she explores how quiet, contemplative moments in nature can serve as a form of resistance in a world that prioritizes speed and productivity. The work cultivates stillness and attention, serving as a reminder of the important symbiotic relationship that we have with nature.
Her work has been featured in many solo and group shows nationally and internationally at venues including the Triton Museum, Santa Clara, CA; Maturango Museum, Ridgecrest, CA; Voss Gallery, San Francisco, CA; Chico Art Center, Chico, CA; James Baird Gallery, Newfoundland, Canada; Sakai Museum, Sakai, Japan; among others.
She has been awarded artist residencies at the Cycladic Arts, Greece; Virginia Center for Creative Arts, VA; Pouch Cove AIR, Newfoundland; Chalk Hill AIR, CA; Vermont Studio Center, VT; Gullkistan AIR, Iceland, Kulttuurri Kauppila, Finland, Kamiyama AIR, Japan; Chitraniketan Residency, India.
Victoria’s paintings are part of numerous private and corporate collections including City of Kamiyama, Japan; Adobe Systems, San Jose, CA ; Northwestern Mutual, Atlanta, GA; and Sutter Health, San Francisco, CA.
Born in Houston, TX (1966), she received her BFA from the Texas A & M University, Corpus Christi. Victoria now lives and works in San Francisco, California.
Statement
Places have a memory, a history, a feeling that we connect with. These memories, like faint echoes, are revealed as light moves across the landscape, transforming the color and texture of a place. It is these moments and experiences that I capture in my atmospheric landscape paintings.
My fascination with the landscape stems more from an interest in exploring our primal connection to the land rather than a focus purely on the aesthetics of a place. My paintings trace the effect light has on a location, how it leaves its mark on the landscape, how it illuminates the essence of nature–creating different moods, transforming a scene, drawing us in, focusing our gaze, changing the temperature physically and emotionally, and capturing movement. Combined, these elements relay the feeling and memories of a place. My paintings are a snapshot of a particular moment in time. Recording these moments is an act of resistance documenting places that are threatened by increased urbanization and catastrophic climate change. They are a call to preserve these places and a reminder of the important symbiotic relationship that we have with nature.
Travel is an integral part of my process. Participating in artist residencies around the world (Japan, India, Finland, and Iceland) allows me to explore different landscapes and record the dramatic shifts in light and color in various geographic locations. During long walks, I immerse myself in the feel and texture of a place recording my observations in photographs and small studies. These studies become the basis for my series.
Using oil paint on canvas, paper, or wood panel, I begin with loose under-paintings of bright pink or yellow that will peak through the final layers. Successive layers of color build to create ethereal luminescent compositions that reveal the emotional feel of a place. Light is the focus of my compositions, the real subject of my work.
Ultimately my work is about chronicling timeless moments in nature where we feel a sense of serenity and a connection to the land. This is the gift I want to share with you.