Artist Profile

Once a successful Graphic Designer/Art Director working with Disney Press, Walter Foster and Sony, Vanessa has taken to a real color palette as she paints in Oils. Her subjects include the pleasing landscapes of France and Tuscany, the allure of historic cities such as Paris and Venice as well as classic California seascapes and canyons locally in Laguna Beach,California.
 
Influenced by traditional representational art, the French Impressionists, and by American artists such as Sargent and Chase, Vanessa takes the essence of a subject and captures its charm on canvas with the use of color, shadows, and light. The natural simplicity of her work, her energetic brush strokes and pleasing color combinations form a realist yet slightly impressionistic style which her collectors admire.
 
Provincial landscapes, farmhouses and vineyards, old painted boats, Paris river scenes and café’s, Tuscan Villas, Portofino and ocean scenes from around the world. She has sold over 100 paintings since her first solo exhibition. She has had many recent successful solo exhibitions at Wendt Gallery in Laguna Beach, along with an impressive list of group shows, exhibiting alongside some of the nations most well known painters, and is now proud to be exhibiting at J. Willott Gallery.
 
After growing up in the artists community of Laguna Beach in Southern California, Vanessa received art scholarships to attend the private University of San Diego. Vanessa honored in Art and Business at University of San Diego and went on to study French Literature at the University of CA, Irvine. She then moved to Switzerland for 5 years, worked as a graphic artist, and had the chance to travel to a new country every weekend and fully appreciate the plethora of European art and culture around her. The richness of this world of art and the general renaissance feeling in the air inspired and enchanted her as she grew even more fond of traditional and impressionist art. Upon her return home, she became a designer and Art Director for Walter Foster Publishing creating over 40 full books for the leading art instructional company in a short time. She has taken workshops in France, locally in California, and was fortunate to learn directly from professional painters. She attended the Laguna College of Art and Design to further her painting studies, is currently studying the figure there, and traveling to Europe twice a year to paint its splendor.
 
She is a member of the American Impressionist society, and the California art Club. Vanessa is honored to be the Southern California Regional Editor of the Nationally acclaimed art collector magazine FINE ART CONNOISSEUR.

Recent Exhibitions

MORE ARTIST INFO: Artist Statement, Inspiration, Production etc..

Studies
University of San Diego (USD)- Business
University of California Irvine, -Art history and French Literature
Laguna College of Art and Design-Continuous Fine Art
Atelier L'Unicorn Bleu-Workshops in Favigny, France
Workshops with Ray Roberts, Maria Bertran, Milt Kobayashi and Michael Obermeyer

Member of the following Art Associations:
American Impressionist Society
California Art Club


Palais du Luxembourg, Paris, Oct 2008