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All of my artwork are original pieces. I don’t make prints, copies or giclees of my paintings. This way, my collectors can be confident that they are purchasing an original, one-of-a-kind painting.

I’ve sold paintings online for several years. I have collectors throughout the US and Canada.

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Text/Call me at 541-817-2100

When I’m not painting or spending time with my family, I enjoy teaching workshops and classes. I’m currently the Vice President of the Watercolor Society of Oregon. I’m also a member of the gallery committee for the Umpqua Valley Arts Association.

As a painter, my goal is to express the joy, romance and passion of everyday life. In my watercolor paintings I like to capture common moments and scenes; doing farm chores, sharing coffee, going window shopping. There is a romance to our daily events that is often overlooked.

Exhibits and Awards

2009

• Vice President of the Watercolor Society of Oregon
• Plein Air Painters of Oregon Open Exhibition, “Celebrate Oregon”
• Solo exhibit, Fisher’s Flowers and Fine Art
• Greatest of the Grape Featured Artist
• Umpqua Valley Summer Art Festival

2008

• Grand Prize Winner, Mirror Pond Gallery National Pastel and Watercolor Exhibition
• Chosen for 2009 Greatest of the Grape Featured Artist and Poster Art
• Best of Show Award, “Hundred Valleys”, Umpqua Valley Art Association
• Two paintings in the juried show, “Hundred Valleys”, Umpqua Valley Art Association
• Achievement Award from the Watercolor Society of Oregon 43rd Annual Aqueous Media Exhibition
• Umpqua Valley Summer Art Festival
• Solo exhibit, Gallery II, Umpqua Valley Art Association

2007

• Solo exhibit, “My True Colors” in the Red Gallery, Umpqua Valley Art Association
• Umpqua Valley Summer Art Festival
• Salem Art Fair and Festival
• Albany Art Fair and Festival
• Three paintings in the juried show “Realism Redesigned”, Umpqua Valley Art Association

2006

• Three month exhibit at the Douglas County Main Library
• Paintings accepted in the Juried Show, “Hard Art”, Umpqua Valley Art Association
• Albany Art and Air Festival
• Umpqua Valley Summer Art Festival
• Featured in Oregon Crafted Guidebook

2005

• Umpqua Valley Summer Art Festival
• Umpqua Valley Wine and Art Festival
• Member of the the Umpqua Valley Art Association
• Member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon

How I Paint with Watercolor

As far as technique, I set my standards pretty high. That doesn’t mean I’m near painting perfection, it means I throw away a lot of paintings! There is a price to pay for a fresh looking painting; a high mortality rate. During a workshop I took from Frank Webb he said, “Watercolors always start out beautiful, but we slowly kill the beauty. Oftentimes painters cease being painters and turn into morticians.”

It’s true that the life of a watercolor is a very fragile thing! To maintain the immediacy that I’m after, I work in three major steps. The first being a wash that transitions in color, value and temperature with so sign of a brush stroke. The second phase establishes the mid-tones and has to integrate color and subject. This is by far the most difficult step and is often where failure comes. The final stage is my favorite. I use calligraphic brush strokes with dark or bright colors. Using brush strokes is one way to personalize a piece. The more I paint, the more I appreciate seeing the hand of an artist in a painting.

With every painting, I strive for more simplicity and abstraction. I want to portray as much as possible in as few brush strokes as possible. The result is a painting that engages the viewer. I’ve done my job when someone experiences a personal connection with a painting.

Acrylic Paintings

I began painting in acrylics in 2009. I’ve enjoyed experimenting with texture and layering. My acrylic paintings are abstractions of street scenes.
Art Education

I have studied with the following international and local artists through workshops and classes at the Scottsdale Art School, Art in the Mountains, Watercolor Society of Oregon and UVAA:

• Alvaro Castagnet
• David Taylor
• Frank Webb
• Mel Stabin
• Val Persoon
• Dale Kurtz

This is a special Christmas for our family. My son is home on leave from the Marine Corp. He leaves December 29th for Camp Pendleton for more training. It’s so nice having him here!

Here’s  a photo of Tessie posing in front of the tree. Maybe Santa will bring her a new dog toy!

The WSO is a very supportive, encouraging and organized watercolor society. I’m looking forward continuing this tradition and sharing my enthusiasm for art, my knowledge of web design and online marketing and my passion for art education!

I painted “Jackson Street Shade” in Downtown Roseburg in July during one of our local paint-out Mondays. Our local group, PAPU (Plein Air Painters of the Umpqua) gets together each Monday and paints on location. It’s both fun and challenging to plein air paint and it’s nice to have a group for support and encouragement!

I’m excited about being selected for the exhibition and I look forward to seeing the other paintings!

Free yourself from tight, overworked paintings in a fun and encouraging environment! Learn how to bring out the best qualities of watercolor through simplified design, integrated color and meaningful brushstrokes. Vinita will demonstrate step-by-step how to create paintings that are full of life and spontaneity. Discover solutions to painting problems, gain confidence and enjoy the painting process.

Acrylic Freedom; Abstracting the Landscape with Vinita Pappas
Thursday & Friday, September 24-25, 2009
9 am to 4 pm
Location: TBA, Redding, CA
NVAL Members: $125  Non-Members: $150

Explore the endless possibilities of acrylic painting! Designed for experienced painters who want to venture into abstraction…or for the novice wishing to gain confidence with acrylics.  Vinita will demonstrate methods of using landscape and urban references for abstract work. Discover the use of layering, scraping, textural effects, juicy paint and the thick stuff. Expect a fun and intense workshop. You will be amazed at the results!

TO REGISTER:  Click here for the registration form.

About the Instructor
Vinita is an award-winning artist and popular workshop instructor living in Southern Oregon. She is Vice-President-Elect of the Watercolor Society of Oregon and an active member of the Umpqua Valley Art Association, heading up her local plein-air group. Vinita also has an instructional DVD titled “Introduction to Watercolor.”  Her website is www.artbyvinita.com

From previous workshop students:
“Vinita is an excellent instructor with a great personality and sense of humor. I liked her at once!”
“Vinita is very clear, a natural instructor. She is very supportive and encouraging!”

This is a plein air painting that I did of Jackson St. in Roseburg, OR. The title is “Lunch Break” because I told myself I needed to finish it before I could have lunch! Motivation is key!

This is a plein air painting of Mildred Kanipe Park outside of Oakland, OR.