Featured Artist Victoria Velozo

Australian artist Victoria Velozo combines realism and abstraction in mixed media paintings inspired by nature. View more by visiting her website.

 

 

I want to create a subconscious connection to the environment. I believe viewing a painting of nature evokes an intuitive reminder of the fragility and sacredness of the natural world.

 

 

My own personal style involves continuously creating tension in the artwork. I achieve this through the combined use of premeditated realism and abstract improvisation. Realism is used as a measure of my ability and the abstract work displays my artistic expression.

 

 

I also create tension in the painting though a juxtaposition of styles, by combining a range of traditional mediums such as oil, watercolour and acrylic paint together in the same painting. I particularly enjoy the contrast of the vividness of the oil paint against the softness of the watercolour.

 

 

Often the final varnish is also used as a tool to create contrast with ultra-gloss used alongside matte varnish. I believe this technique serves to make a powerful painting and stamps my own style.

 

 

When beginning a new work, I create the backgrounds first. They represent an abstract version of an environmental landscape in which the featured animal will be placed. I work quickly in this stage, often utilising water, sponges, collage and layering. I believe this evokes a sense of movement and depth.

 

 

Next I use watercolour to create the smaller creatures and birds which will be hidden in the background of the scene. Finally, I sketch and paint in the main feature, usually a bird, as the focal point of the painting. Other than the realistic feature, I try not to have too much of a developed, preconceived idea of what I want the painting to look like when I begin.

 

 

I believe the catalyst for becoming an artist was when I was eight years old. My father turned one of the walls in our playroom into a giant blackboard. After this, it wasn’t long before I was creating storyboards, portraits of favourite dolls and murals of life-sized animals set in various landscapes. Through this I believe I was inadvertently developing skills in structure, depth, composition and accuracy.

 

 

Around this same time, my family embarked on a journey of several months around Europe and the United Kingdom in a camper van. I was able to see firsthand the museums and architecture which displayed the works of the great masters. I was being home-schooled throughout this journey. My schoolwork was to write about the sculptures, paintings and architectural styles of the monuments in the countries we visited. Through this I gained my first influences in sculpture, figurative painting and landscapes. I was introduced to critical analysis and art history.

 

 

Throughout high school I chose every possible subject related to art. In my final year, I had two artworks selected for a very prestigious exhibition held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. This exhibition also traveled to all the regional city galleries in Australia for eleven months.

 

 

The exposure gained through this exhibition then allowed me a direct placement into the Creative Arts programme at Wollongong University, where I received my Bachelor of Creative Arts degree. This was the beginning of my journey into exhibitions. It has more recently allowed me to be represented by three galleries in China. My work is collected internationally, with works now residing in Oman, Hong Kong, Sydney, Amsterdam, London and California.

 

Artist Victoria Velozo invites you to follow her on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Saatchi Art.

 

Want to stay current on cutting edge business articles from Artsy Shark, plus artist features, and an invitation to the next Call for Artists? Subscribe to our twice-monthly Updates, and get a free e-book on Where to Sell Art Online right now!