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Vala is an artist who
passionately and relentlessly seeks to create artworks
that show her dedication to excellence. Her classical
training in Europe is reflected in her art. She is a
talented figurative bronze sculptor emerging in the world
of three-dimensional art after a successful career as a
portrait painter. "The bronze gives me an opportunity to
mold the sense of life into an everlasting form. From the
force of a muscle in motion to a tender human emotion
expressed.
Vala was born and raised in Iceland. She has lived in the
US since 1994. After 8 years in Santa Fe, NM she relocated
to Scottsdale, AZ. Vala Ola's artistic talent was apparent
early on, and from the age of twelve she attended classes
drawing models from life. Graduating from the College of
Hamrahlid, she furthered her studies at the Icelandic
College of the Arts, and later graduated from The Arts
Institute in Bournemouth, England.
She won the Icelandic
Design Excellence Award for the first time at the age of
twenty-six. During her studies in England, she placed two
entries among the finalists at the Smithsonian Young
Illustrator's Competition. Returning to Iceland, she went
on as her country's sole representative at the Nordic
Graphic & Illustration Awards. Moving to the United States
in 1994, she changed her focus to portraiture, and found
herself booked solid for the next 7 years. Her portraits
in oil were created for families and dignitaries alike.
Immaculate likeness of her subjects and reverence for the
technique of the old masters earned her great recognition
in her field.
Vala rekindled her interest in sculpting with clay after
solely painting with oil for seven years. Her inspiration
derives from her observation of life. Even the most
mundane circumstance we find ourselves in daily will spark
an idea. The Flemish artist Vermeer would paint the simple
act of pouting milk, elevating it to a moment worth
remembering for eternity, in a similar way Vala will look
at a moment usually passed by as moment worth noticing.
"All we have in life at any given time is the very moment
we are living and that moment is of importance." Vala
says, "I would like to inspire myself and others to have
awareness and appreciation for our life."
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