Meet Virginia Kamhi | Fine Artist and Pastel Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Virginia Kamhi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Virginia, how does your business help the community?
I have always been drawn to the natural beauty of the great outdoors. We are surrounded by incredible beauty here in the L.A. area, and as an artist, I choose to paint from nature. I am on the board of Allied Artists of the Santa Monica Mountains and Seashore, a group founded over 25 years ago, whose mission is to paint and preserve this natural beauty from the mountains to the seashore. Most people are unaware that the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is the largest urban park in the world, and it’s right here for us to enjoy. I am awed by the majesty of this incredible natural beauty. It feeds my soul, and I want to give back by helping to preserve what I love. I donate my art to many organizations to raise money for conservation. Through my paintings, I hope to remind people that we are stewards of this fragile beauty.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
If I had to say what inspires me as an artist, it would be the sea. It has always called me. As a child, many of my happiest moments were spent at the beach, and one particularly memorable summer vacation was spent aboard a friend’s boat sailing the Puget Sound and up into Canada. The ocean teems with sensory images: the sounds of waves crashing and breaking, sea gulls calling; the feel of sand between my toes and cold water splashing over me or engulfing me and churning me as a wave bowls me over; the briny smell of ocean air, seaweed, and fish; the salty taste of ocean water; the relentless movement of the sea, which I could watch for hours. The ocean is my place of peace and calm. It is the subject of most of my paintings.
As an artist, I rely heavily on my eyes to see and understand the world I strive to paint. Seeing gives me great joy, and each day brings new sights and mysteries to observe and explore. I find that as I paint, I get caught up in all the nuances of the scene I am painting. It’s almost as though the more I observe, the more I see. As a seascape artist, it has been very important for me to spend time by the sea, observing and understanding the wave action, how water moves around rocks, the way light bounces off the water, the appearance of reflections and shadows. I am always learning more about this subject. Back in the studio, I feel that all the sensory images acquired outdoors become a part of my paintings, and I hope that my viewers sense the warmth or chill of the day, feel the salt spray in the air, and hear the roars and rumbles of the surf in my seascapes.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take a friend to my favorite beaches, Leo Carrillo, El Matador, and Pt. Dume/Westward Beach. We would have breakfast on the sand at Paradise Cove and Lunch at Malibu Farm at the Malibu Pier.
I would take them to a few art museums. My favorites are the Getty, Norton Simon, LACMA, The Broad, but we could spend two weeks just visiting local art museums. The LA Arts District would be an interesting choice. Bergamot Station might be fun, and Venice Beach is a must for people watching. I love to take visitors to Philippe the Original as a bit of retro L.A. before taking in a Dodger game.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, my husband and family have supported and encouraged me to pursue my artistic career, but many others have held me up. I would credit the renowned artist Richard McKinley for inspiring me to pursue pastels. I was fortunate to find Ojai artists Bert Collins and Jannene Behl to mentor me in pastels early on, and I must give credit to the Academy of Art University, where I got my M.A. in Fine Art Painting. My professors there were wonderfully supportive and encouraging. My dear friends at Pastel Society of Southern California have watched me grow and supported my art pursuits. The list goes on and on. I am deeply grateful to all who have had a part in my growth as an artist.

Website: https://www.virginiakamhifineart.com

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Image Credits
All images are my own.