Virginia Sloan

I started painting for the first time four years ago. Once I started, I became serious immediately, fully dedicating myself. Growing up in an environment immersed in music and art, I never had experimented much in the world of painting as I felt intimidated by it. I preferred drawing, with the exactness of the sharp point of a pencil and the safety of an eraser.

I have finally found my true passion in painting. Unlike pencils, I find brushes to be more versatile. I like the feel and flow of the brush strokes on the canvas. I enjoy mixing colors to the exact hue like a chef mixing ingredients needed to get the perfect taste. I like to describe my work as abstract expressionism. Starting a painting is intellectual for me. Once I start, I go through a process of layering ... adding and subtracting color and texture.... simplifying and complicating ... then fine tuning.

This is important to me. The layers make the work more interesting. I hope the observer will not only want to see, but also to touch the piece. Currently I am working on a series of marsh, beach and waterway landscapes. Building from a lifetime of memories at the Georgia coast and the Gulf of Mexico, I am attracted to the horizontal line and the wide open space.

When I’m not painting landscapes I like to work on my whimsical abstract collection entitled “Lemons, Limes and Bubbles”. Using palette knives and vibrant colors, I create fresh, fun images on large canvas’.