Drawing and painting have been imperative to me ever since a young age. It is a way of expressing the inspiration I gained from my travels and adventures around Europe, the Middle East, North America and Africa. This is evident in my work, which combines foreign landscapes and foreign faces. I have been commissioned for paintings since the age of 15, when I started my passion for keeping artistic sketchbooks of my travels, which complimented my interest in photojournalism. My work is figurative realism, using old master techniques and my focus is of a great attention to detail with clean, vibrant color due to the use of a structured palette. My subject matter is contemporary, usually urban, yet painted in classical "Old Master" style realism – a juxtaposition of the old world with the new. My artistic intention is to document contrasting interactions between people, which give my work its narrative element – I enjoy letting a story unfold in my art. Growing up in London and exploring its urban chaos and ethnic mix was what started my fascination with people and the surroundings they create for themselves. My subject matter is of everyday American society and cultures in Southern California suburbia – its inhabitants’ anxieties, repressed emotions and subcultures, as seen through a foreigner's eyes, which are paralleled with eccentric people, their homes and places from my native England. The new, sterile household and neighborhood of a Southern California housewife – devoid of memories and individuality, in comparison to a cluttered, old home of an English farmer now living in the suburbs, whose home décor is still endearingly trapped in the 1950s. It is intellectually and visually interesting to compare these two subjects- discovering through visual art the characteristics and psychologies of two different countries. This is especially interesting, since America was founded on English ideals. These form the bulk of my work in various forms: still life, figurative and landscape. My paintings also explore different textures and surfaces like chrome, glass and neon light, giving the work a complexity that is visually appealing. My work is often allegorical, expressive of mood, with an intellectual depth and a sense of humor. My new series deals with the banal life of the gated community housewife and her activities in the confined space of a strip mall- the place of escape from social reality and its consequences. The drawings are part of the series “Time on Your Hands”, which documents the housewife in her favorite escapist environment- the nail salon.

Education

2007 - Present   Laguna College of Art and Design, Laguna Beach, CA, USA.

M.F.A Fine Art, Drawing and Painting.

2002 - 2007       Laguna College of Art and Design, Laguna Beach, CA, USA.

B.F.A Fine Art, Drawing and Painting.

2001- 2002        California State University, Fullerton, CA, USA.

2000 - 2001       Camberwell School of Art (part of the London Art Institute), London, UK

B.T.E.C Foundation in Fine Art, Drawing and Painting.

1993 - 2000       South Hampstead High School, London, UK.

Exhibitions

2008      LCAD MFA Group Show curated by Eleana Del Rio, Koplin Del Rio, Culver City, CA, July-August

2008      Summer Show, Gallery 793, Laguna Beach, CA, June-August

2008      LCAD MFA Group Show curated by Peter Frank, Arena 1, Santa Monica, CA, June

2008      Laguna Beach City Hall, Laguna Beach, CA. March

2007      Morningside Country Club, Rancho Mirage, CA, March 1.

2005      Solo one-night show at Sue Greenwood Fine Art, Laguna Beach, CA.

2005      Solo exhibition at Bella Gallery, Lake Elsinore, CA. September.

2005      Gallery 821 Annual Summer Show, Laguna Beach, CA. June - August.

2005      Open Studio Exhibition, Canyon Lake Art Association. April 23 & 24.

2005      One-man show at The Lighthouse Restaurant, Canyon Lake, CA. Jan - April.

2004      Gallery 821 Annual Summer Show, Laguna Beach, CA. June - August.

2004      Open Studio Exhibition, Canyon Lake Art Association, Canyon Lake, CA. April.

Juried Exhibitions

2007     “Capturing the Force of Stillness” Juried exhibit, Fairhaven Mausoleum, CA.

2005     "The Best of the Best: An Annual Juried Exhibition", LCAD, CA. April-May.

2004     "The Best of the Best: An Annual Juried Exhibition", LCAD, CA. April-May.

 Awards

2004      Best Sophmore Painting, Fine Art Award at LCAD's Annual Juried Exhibition.

Bibliography

2005      Coast Magazine, “First Steps”, December.

2005      Entertainment Roundup, "Visually Appealing Masterpieces", September.

2005      The Friday Flyer, "Artist Reception", September.

2005      The Friday Flyer, "Young Artist Making her Mark", April 8.

Affiliations

Canyon Lake Art Association, Canyon Lake, CA

The Arts Council of Temecula Valley, Temecula, CA

Selected Collections

Mr. & Mrs. Susan and Eliot Black, CT, USA

Mr. Paul Dodd, Toronto, Canada, Mr. Robert Waring, Leeds, UK, Mr. Peter Reynen, New York City, NY, USA

Copyright 2007, Verna Glancy Fine Art. All rights reserved.