L
ocal artist, Victoria Brace,
is a soft-spoken, self-possessed,
educated, and interesting woman.
An Eastern European transplant
to Spokane, her paintings are rich,
layered, enigmatic confections
for the eyes. They are as deep in
meaning as they are in color, and
we are pleased to introduce you
all to her.
Art Chowder: Hello Victoria.
Please tell our readers where you
are from, and how you ended up
in Spokane?
Victoria: I’m originally from
Russia. I was born and grew
up in Moscow. In the late 90s
my husband and I moved to the
U.S. to Upstate NY, where his
family lived. Soon I got a job as a
computer graphics artist at Cyan
Worlds. A video game company
here in Mead, they were the
creators of the game Myst and its
sequel Uru. So we moved again,
this time to Spokane, and have
stayed here since.
Art Chowder: Have you always
been an artist?
Victoria: I’ve been drawing and
painting from the time I learned
how to hold a pencil; it was my
favorite thing to do. I did not
get serious about becoming an
artist until my teens. I took all
the art classes and after school art
programs I could get into, then
took private lessons with an artist,
and got accepted to an art college.
I graduated from Moscow College
of Art with a BA in Painting and
Art Education.
"Hope"
36 x 24” - oil on canvas
Art Chowder: So you were
classically trained?
Victoria: Yes. The art school
in Russia back then was as
classical as it can get.
"Nomad"
12 x 12” - oil on canvas
March | April 2018
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