The Cold War Heats Up
While we may wish that childhood were truly innocent, in truth, children are deeply affected by current events, family turmoil, and personal trauma. Emotions are often mixed, and even happy moments can be tinged by anxiety or fear. This layered portait is of the artist as a child, done in colored pencil and acrylic paint and collaged with wallpaper and an image transfer. It is sealed with a UV protectant.
Contact the artist: vivianmariewalz@gmail.com
Or see the artist’s website: www.vivianmariewalz.com
Width: 24in
Vivian Walz
I am fascinated by what a portrait can reveal about a personality. Facial expressions, poses, and gestures evoke emotional meaning, while clothing, hairstyles, accessories, and background can provide social and historical context. I am particularly drawn to children and adults in costume, and I hope the viewer is moved to wonder what is concealed and what is revealed through the act of disguise.
As references I use images I took as my children were growing up, photos from my own childhood, pictures I snapped during my many years of working in a school, and assorted family photos. I mix and match acrylic painting with colored pencil and graphite drawings to create highly detailed portraits on paper, which I then collage onto abstracted monotypes and adorn with wallpaper, fabric, buttons and found objects to create a relief on a cradled panel.
The portrait artists I most appreciate use paint and mixed media to tell a story that is both specific and universal. Hung Liu, Michalene Thomas, Khánh Lê, and Oscar yi Hou, are among my current inspirations.
My art background includes a lifetime of experimentation with media and techniques. In addition to drawing and painting, I have studied ceramics, textile arts, illustration, and printmaking. I have a BA in studio art, with an emphasis in sculpture, from San Francisco State University. I am a lifelong learner, and have continued to take classes in both studio art and art history at City College of San Francisco.
I am a member of the Art Guild of Pacifica, and volunteer and display my pieces at Sanchez Art Center in the Linda Mar neighborhood of Pacifica, where I will be showing my work during the Coastside weekend of the Silicon Valley Open Studios.
Email: vivianmariewalz@gmail.com
Website: www.vivianmariewalz.com
Instagram: vivianwalz
Facebook: vivianwalz
