My work is inspired by architecture, design and nature. My first body of work, Materiae, was an exploration of the surface qualities of natural materials affected by the elements shown in a simple geometric structure that referred to the built environment. The use of oil and cold wax medium on wood panel allowed me to add and remove layers of paint to achieve complex textures and colors of those materials. These paintings were an homage to materials and to the structures and spaces where they were placed in my work as a designer.
Since my recent retirement from the corporate interior design world, I’ve been engaged in making images that refer to the natural world. The small collection of paintings, Fiore, deals with bold color and organic form. Still using cold wax and oil on wood panel, still working in layers, but experimenting with some different tools that allowed for a more painterly application of this medium, I was able to create shapes and images that were flower-like or leaf-like but still quite abstract.
My most recent series of paintings, Flower Portraits, in oil on canvas, shows semi-realistic arrangements of flowers. The image is flattened with minimal shading to give an inkling of the flowers’ volume. The vases are simple shapes and the backgrounds are flat color keeping the focus on the subject. The flowers are are cut and placed in vases suggesting that they are intended to be viewed in an interior space.
STATEMENT
Andrea attended UCLA to study fine art for a short time before switching to “more practical” interior design. She has worked as a designer for over 30 years. Most recently she’s worked for an architecture firm in Seattle on large commercial projects and still does residential interiors independently. Mostly self-taught, she started making art several years ago searching for personal expression through a more immediate and tactile experience. She found that the hands-on approach to making to be very rewarding compared to the somewhat removed process of interior design where the design is drawn and specified and submitted to tradesmen to build. She now is a full-time artist, with a little design on the side.
Andrea has exhibited her work locally at Valise Gallery on Vashon Island and Vashon Center for the Arts.
Originally from California, Andrea now lives on Vashon Island, Washington with her husband, John and cat, Scout.
BIO
Professional Experience
Rockefeller/Hricak Architects, Los Angeles. Interior Designer, 1986-1996
Planning and design, color and materials selection, furniture selection, art placement
for residential and small commercial projects.
ZGF Architects, Seattle. Interior Designer, Associate Principal, 1996-2023
Planning and design, color and materials selection, furniture selection, art placement
for large commercial projects, including higher ed, healthcare and workplace facilities.
Education
UCLA, Majored in Fine Art
UCLA Extension, Interior and Environmental Design, certificate - 1986
Exhibitions
i.e. gallery, Edison, Washington
“Winter’s Teeth” group show, December 2023-January 2024
Vashon Center for the Arts
Summer Arts Fest August 2018
Summer Arts Fest July 2021
Summer Arts Fest July 2023
Summer Arts Fest July 2024
Valise Gallery
Member group show March 2018
Member group show May 2018
Member group show September 2018
Vashon Allied Arts
Annual miniature show December 2015
Annual Miniature show December 2016
Annual Miniature show December 2017