All artwork copyrights belong to the artist and images may not be used for any purpose without written permission from the artist. To contact me about classes, demonstrations, or purchasing art work, write to me at vjunseld@aol.com or call 303-582-5724.
I am excited to be teachingLandscape Painting With Pastels for the third year, this summer in Taos, New Mexico. Whether you are new to pastels, looking to move to a higher level, or a high school teacher wanting to add pastels to your curriculum, this workshop will inspire and challenge you. Please open the tab to the left marked Events/Classes for more information on the Taos pastel workshop July 23-27, 2012.
Virginia at the fall studio tour- photo by Barbara Lawlor
Aspen Shadows 16 x 20 pastel This won Best of Show in the Gilpin Arts Association Rocky Mountain States 2010 show.
I have been painting Western landscapes for over 30 years. Specific places speak to me. My challenge as a painter is to evoke my sense of a place and give it form. I am attracted to the patterns and rhythms of the land and try to interpret what I feel in a personal style. I am not beholden to the view in front of me and manipulate design elements to emphasize my visual statement.
I have been painting with soft pastels for 20 years. They provide the perfect union of drawing and painting for me. I bring many years of experience with oils, acrylics and watercolors to my passion for pastels. I love the challenge of working en plein air. In the winter my car becomes a traveling studio. I also shoot many photographs of those moments of magical fleeting light and from my hikes into the wilderness. Wherever I am, the photographs, sketches, sounds, and memories of the landscape provide inspiration for my paintings.
My work can be found at Firedworks Gallery in Alamosa, CO and Edge Gallery in Denver, CO
I built a small studio on my property in 2009. Please call to visit when you are in the area.
SELECT AWARDS
2012 3rd Place Colorado Pastel Society members' show 2010 Southwest Art Magazine Award of Excellence, Denver Plein Air Exhibit 2010 Best of Show Gilpin Artists Association Mountain States Exhibit 2010 Best of Show Evergreen Pastel Show 2010 First Place Evergreen Artists Association Show 2009 Art selected for Evergreen Arts Center 2010 Calendar 2009 Art selected for cover of Serenity Magazine 2009 Art selected for cover of Mountain Pages Magazine 2008 Best of Show, Evergreen Artists' Ass'n Members Show 2009 artist-in-residence, Gilpin County Public Library 2008 1st Place Evergreen Plein Air Competition, Exhibit 2008 3rd Place Mixed Media Evergreen Fine Arts Fair 2007 Artist-In-Residence, Mancos State Park, CO 2006 Cover Art Alamosa County Calendar 2006 Best of Show Colorado Art Educators Exhibit 2006 1st Place Evergreen Plein Air Invitational 2006 3rd Place Colorado Pastel Society Annual Show 2004 3rd Place Colorado Pastel Society Annual Show 2004 People's Choice Award CO Pastel Society Annual Show 2004 Honorable Mention CO Pastel Society Annual Show 2003 Juror's Award Colorado Art Open, Golden CO 2002 Honorable Mention War and Peace, Core Gallery, Denver 1999 3rd Place Celebrate the Rio, Alamosa, CO 1997 Poster Award for 50th Annual Gilpin Artsists' Assoc Show 1996 Colorado High School Art Educator of the Year
Select Juried Exhibits
2012 Plein Air Painters of CO Nat'l Show Taos, NM 2011 Plein Air Painters of CO Nat'l Show Denver, CO 2010,09 Denver CO Plein Air Exhibit, 2010 Evergreen CO Pastel Open 2009 Mile Hi National Pastel Exhibit 2008 Evergreen Artists Association members Show 2007,06 Evergreen Plein Air Invitational-Evergreen CO 2006 Word As Image Denver Art Students League 2006 Colorado Art Education Association Show 2006 Colorado Pastel Society Annual Show 2006,97,96,94,92 Gilpin Arts Association Show 2005 Evergreen Arts Center Invitational Show 2004,02,00,99 Colorado Watermedia Exhibit, Denver, CO 2003,01 Colorado Art Open, Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO 2003 Colorado Pastel Society, Lakewood CO 2001 Colorado Pastel Society, Grand Junction, CO 1994 The Great Frame-up, Littleton,CO
painting plein air in Evergreen,CO photo by Marta Rodeheffer
I have a degree in Art Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an MAE from Rhode Island School of Design. I have studied pastels with Doug Dawson, Liz Haywood-Sullivan, Desmond O'Hagan, Terry Ludwig, Jan Myers and thank them for sharing their expertise.
painting plein air in Evergreen,CO photo by Marta Rodeheffer