About Virginia Bradley
« The alchemical and physical processes of painting are the foundation of my creative practice. »
A beautiful and quiet 3.5-acre property just north of Great Barrington in Western Massachusetts serves as my home and studio/laboratory. Living in the Berkshires grants me ample inspiration for my work and its development. During the colder months I work in my Winter studio in a small fishing village in the Southwest corner of Puerto Rico. Life in Playa Santa is complete contrast to the Berkshires but is equally inspiring.
My research into natural phenomena, geological and oceanographic formation serves as a starting point for my abstract works. Like an alchemist, I transform the work through the use of diverse materials and physical acts. I add and subtract into the painting surface by pouring paint, sanding, drawing and printing while simultaneously experimenting with chemical reactions to the surface.
Thus, my studio becomes a laboratory for experimentation and an athanor for the interaction of diverse materials. I repeat these processes until the piece evolves into a finished state of multiple luminous layers, referring to water, the richness of the air and the unknown and attaining a higher level of physicality and contemplation.
Throughout my career I have received prestigious painting fellowships from the McKnight Foundation, Arts Midwest NEA, Minnesota State Arts Board, and The Lighton International Artists Exchange Program. I have been honored to be a fellow throughout the world including ACME Studios in East London, the London Zoological Society, Yaddo, Sanskriti Kendra in New Delhi, India, Fundacion Valparaiso in Mojacar, Spain, Ragdale, and the Virginia Center of Creative Arts.
My paintings have been widely exhibited nationally and internationally at venues like the Delaware Contemporary Museum, Blue Star Center for the Arts, Hoyt Institute of Art, Freedman Gallery (Albright College), Abington Art Center (Philadelphia), The Minneapolis Institutes of Arts, The Soap Factory and the Florence Biennale (Firenze, Italy). They are also included in many public and private collections.
Prior to moving to the Berkshires, I served as Professor of Art, teaching painting and drawing at the University of Delaware.
