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VALA OLA
NSS - Professional member of the
National Sculpture Society
Vala is an artist who passionately
and relentlessly seeks to create artworks that show her
dedication to excellence. Her classical training in Europe is
reflected in her art. Her figurative bronze sculptures and oil
paintings are noted for their depth of expression and emotion.
The high quality of her art has earned her great respect among
art appreciators.
"The bronze gives me an
opportunity to mold the sense of life into an everlasting form.
From the force of a muscle in motion to a tender human emotion
expressed. That along with the abstract quality of composition
is what inspires me. When painting I get to play with colors as
well as composition"
Vala was born and raised in
Iceland. She has lived
in the US since 1994.
After 8 years in Santa Fe, NM, she relocated to
Scottsdale, AZ. Vala
Ola's artistic talent was apparent early on, and from the age of
thirteen she attended classes drawing models from life.
Graduating from the College of Hamrahlid, she furthered her
studies at the Icelandic College of the Arts, and later
graduated from The Arts Institute in Bournemouth,
England.
She won the Icelandic Design Excellence Award for the first time
at the age of twenty-six. During her studies in England, she
placed two entries among the finalists at the Smithsonian Young
Illustrator's Competition. Returning to Iceland, she went on as
her country's sole representative at the Nordic
Graphic Design & Illustration
Awards. Moving to the United States in 1994, she changed her
focus to portraiture
in oil, and found herself booked solid for the next 7 years.
During those years up until 2001 she painted alongside William
Alan Shirley. Their portraits were created for families and
dignitaries alike. Immaculate likeness of her subjects and
reverence for the technique of the old masters earned her great
recognition in her field. She won the
Best Figurative Award 2006 at
the International Guild of Realism Annual Show in Santa Fe.
2001 Vala rekindled her interest in
sculpting with clay
after solely painting with oil for seven years. Her inspiration
derives from her observation of life. Even the most mundane
circumstance we find ourselves in daily will spark an idea. The
Flemish artist Vermeer would paint the simple act of pouring
milk, elevating it to a moment worth remembering for eternity,
in a similar way Vala will look at a moment usually passed by as
moment worth noticing.
Vala sculpts smaller and mid-size
figures in her studio in Scottsdale as well as larger monuments.
All her sculptures are cast in bronze.
"All
we have in life at any given time is the very moment we are
living and that moment is of importance." Vala
says.
"I would like to inspire myself
and others to have awareness and appreciation for our life."
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