Willa Vennema

 

 

Statement:

The Mini Meditation Series developed as a studio warm-up exercise. While musicians take it for granted that a warm-up is necessary, it took me many years to come to the realization that as a painter, I needed a similar routine. I committed to giving myself the gift of making time for fun, playful experimentation to begin my day in the studio.

I have always worked on multiple series at a time, both semi-representational landscapes and multiple abstract series. The Mini-Meditation series primarily investigates the circle shape, which evokes many symbolic concepts for me such as wholeness, connectedness, continuity of time, and our planet and the cosmos.

Bio:

Willa Vennema has a BA in Studio Art and Art History from Oberlin College, Ohio, and a BFA in Studio Art From The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, NYC. Vennema has kept a studio practice for over thirty years, while raising a family with her husband Carter Waldren, and running the Creative Play House, a home pre-school program.Vennema has had numerous solo exhibitions, and she is represented at the Portland Art Gallery, Portland Maine, and The Harbor Square Gallery, Rockland, Maine. Her work is in the collection of Southern Maine Medical Center, Southern Maine Community College, Avesta Housing, and over 150 private collections nationwide. Vennema has been a member of New England Wax for 9 years.

 

 

Website:   willavennema.com