Virginia A Zuelsdorf

I was born near the birthplace of Georgia O'Keefe, in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. She served as an early inspiration and role model for me. I've lived and worked in Madison, Wisconsin, Chicago, Key West, and now work out of my home studio in Orlando, Florida.

My background in photography is reflected in my paintings, which often stem from my photographic work. I studied black and white film photography at the University of Wisconsin. While my photographs are now primarily digital, I prefer film images and love to print photographs.

My painter's palette is influenced by the Impressionists and the German Expressionists, particularly the Fauves, or "Wild Beasts". I use color to create a mood or evoke a particular feeling. My landscapes are composed to engage viewers and lead their eyes throughout the painting. Figures, portraits, and landscapes are idealized and exaggerated both in the way they are drawn and the colors used, to create a unique beauty. I strive to create windows to the world as I perceive it.

I believe that our society is deprived of the visual stimulation and excitement created by the vibrant hues we cherished as children. Many have told me that my art enriches the lives of those who experience it.

COLORS THAT SAT...

Educated at the University of Wisconsin, Zuelsdorf has a bachelor's degree in fine art, with a concentration in drawing, painting, photography and printmaking. I've been an artist as long as I can remember. I love to paint and I couldn't live without color. My internationally collected art has been viewed in juried exhibitions, galleries, local art shows, and several one-woman shows. I have performed at numerous live painting events, in which a work of art is created before a live audience. I was a featured artist in a documentary film called "The Art of the Illuminati". From 1998 until 2004 I worked as a scenic artist, painting anything and everything at theme parks including the Magic Kingdom, MGM Studios, Epcot and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. That was by far the best and most adventurous job I've ever had. I got to work HUGE and by that I mean ten by forty foot murals, humungous sides of buildings, giant mushrooms, a forty foot tall Indiana Jones, mudflats for rhinos .... you name it! Painting on a huge scale was very physical. I'd throw myself into the physicality of painting and dance my way across the canvas. That job taught me the value of the process and I've incorporated that into my work ev...