Roya Chadab

I work predominantly in mix-media. I work in layers to produce rich textural surfaces and build up intensity. One mark will lead to another, which will then lead to a different mark or texture on another part of the canvas or paper until the work is resolved. Nothing is planned unconditionally.
I may start with one painting and end with another. While working, I envision narratives: a type of visual dialog between the forms and textures on my working surface. I am inspired by nature and my surroundings and often begin with the representational, but my work frequently leaves behind the traditional notion of figurative painting and moves into the contemporary through the process of building up layer upon layer of paint and texture. Representational forms become paired down - almost abstracted.
In all of this - a strong sense of symbolism remains in my work. I paint a lot of trees and as an example, the paintings with grouping of trees painted in a muted palette are in a quiet ballet - a dance that echoes the dance between individuals. The focus on the rich texture of the trunks of trees (not leaves, branches or roots) further strengthens the sense that the trees are also figures. The application of found tree bark to the layers of ...

Smith College – B.A. Major in Studio Art, 1981
Ecole du Louvre – courses 1982-1983

Ex Asilo Filangieri, Naples, Italy, 2022 Group show – Itinerant DC Meets NA with Art4US Coop
Studio 1469 – Washington, DC., 2022 Group show- DC Unsettled with Art4US Coop
Fred Schnider Gallery of Art, Arlington VA, 2020 – Impressions 2 Solo Exhibit curated by Mary Anne Schnider.
IACC Spring Art Show, Vienna, VA 2019. “Water Lilies” painting.
Fred Schnider Gallery of Art, Arlington, VA, 2018– Impressions 1 Solo Exhibit curated by Mary Anne Schnider.
World Bank Community Connections, Washington DC, 2017. Painted cards for Nowruz group show, celebration of the Iranian New Year.