"Green Apple" Painting

Vanessa Withun is a contemporary representational artist of Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage originally from Bronx, New York. Coming from an artistic family, she was always drawn to the arts. Although her work is representational, she heavily relies on an intuitive process to tell a unique story. Her style incorporates Classical Realism with Contemporary Art. She believes that from the start of the creation process, the painting/drawing process becomes a part of the artist’s unique experience. Her drawings focus on the use of contrast and light to achieve an emotional connection with the viewer. She is interested in how humans relate with their environment to create meaning and the way in which objects, natural or man-made, are perceived by humans in relation to their environment. She enjoys the use of color and heavy texture to show the intricacies of form and the behavior of light. Her still life painting method involves working boldly in alla prima, on a heavy textured surface, laying the paint on thick, and scraping with the palette knife to create a mural-like scenario. Although she focuses on nature, she also enjoys painting portraits and still-life as well. She currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida. Her work has been exhibited across the United States, including a group show with Oil Painters of America.