A Graceful Conversation with Vian Borchert

Photo Credit: Oliver Borchert

Vian Borchert is an American expressionist artist, art critic, and art educator. Vian’s art has been exhibited both internationally and nationally in art galleries and art spaces such as bG Gallery, Art Gallery Wiesbaden, Van Der Plas Gallery, Cornell Art Museum, Gallery Underground, and elsewhere. I got the pleasure to ask Vian about her most recent exhibit, ‘Lavender Fields Series’ at the Lichtundfire Gallery in NYC, who are some of her favorite poets, and what draws her to nature beyond the art world. Vian’s most recent artwork is being exhibited at the FLUX Exhibition in London.

UZOMAH: What was your creative process for your ‘Lavender Fields Series' Paintings? Was it any different from other series due to your creative space being during a pandemic?

VIAN: The ‘Lavender Fields Series' Paintings were created recently in June 2021. They were specially created for the “In Full Bloom” art exhibition at Lichtundfire, Manhattan, NYC. The exhibition is currently ongoing for Summer 2021. For the “In Full Bloom” theme, I had envisioned panoramic landscapes that would give the illusion of flying over lavender fields. Interestingly during the pandemic, I have been very productive. In the Summer of 2020, I created a series of paintings titled “Reflection” that were in a solo art exhibition in Arlington, VA. The artwork was done during COVID times while quarantining and sequestrated in my studio. I found the work created during this time to be very strong. The “Reflection” series was about reflecting and reminiscing over simpler times where life was easier and travel was feasible.
In regards to the Lavender Fields series, they have been inspired by my love for my lavender plants that I planted at the beginning of COVID. I had seen the plants grow and flourish during this time which had brought so much satisfaction and happiness to my heart. So, in a way, the lavender fields paintings are an ode to my love of lavender. During this time, I had found the lavender plant to be resilient, strong, and beautiful in its subdued tones. The resilience of the lavender plant had in return given me much-needed strength during this time. Hence, I set about celebrating not only its beauty but its strength in this series.

U: How does art test you and help you question more about life and how you perceive things and people around you?

V: Very good question. I have found art throughout my life to be a form of refuge to escape to, especially during difficult times. The act of creation helps me see matters from a different perspective and gives me a better view of the big picture. What art does is that it allows one to enter one’s own world and by doing so I have found this transition for me to be freeing and meditative.

“Lavender Shadows,” Acrylic on canvas, 2021 ,30 x 15

U: How would you define your relationship with nature, and why is it important?

V: I have found my relationship with nature to be very pleasing and rewarding on a personal level. It is not only important but also essential for me to continue meditating on nature since I find that nature gives me certain happiness that no other matter does. To illustrate, when planting flowers and plants in my garden, I have found that there is a certain joy that is only attainable by doing such an action. The actual act of digging up the soil, and the smell that the earth emits is satisfactory along with connecting me to the earth. Thus, it is the little things that evoke such pleasurable moments that inspire the creation of great works of art.

“Spectrum,” Acrylic on canvas, 2020, 24 x 24

U: What can people take away from your appreciation for nature and other artists who paint nature about how they can treat the environment better?

V: I have found that the issues close to my heart, such as the importance of nature in our daily life not only can better one as a human but bridge a connection to all as well. I also have found that my appreciation and approach to nature have been rather contagious not only to artists but to viewers and people alike. Therefore, I can say I have been instrumental in opening the eyes and minds of people while making them think and reflect on the environment. nature and how they view the world around them.

U: What is the hardest thing about the artistic process for you?

V: In regards to the artistic process itself, it is more pleasurable for me than hard. However, the road of an artist is not an easy one. Beyond being talented and gifted, you have to work very hard on your craft. I have been creating art for decades now. It has been many rigorous sleepless nights of working and implementing to get me to the point where I am at today.

“Misty Waves,” acrylic on canvas, 2020, 24 x 36

U: What makes creating art a process of making a visual poem?

V: I have described my art as a form of visual poetry. It is through creating artwork that I present my lyrical vision to the world. The fact that the work is an expressionist one that ultimately evokes emotions be it rejuvenation, melancholy, or joy, is what transforms the work into a visual poem.  Consequently, I have found that my art similar to my written poems has helped awaken the visual senses and imagination of the viewers. Hence, the visual dialogue that occurs between the art presented and the viewers have been very intriguing for me to see throughout the years.

U: Who are some of your favorite poets? Which ones inspire your art?

V: My favorite poet of all time is Langston Hughes, especially his poem “Mother to Son”.  Langston Hughes’s poetry speaks to me like no other. I find poet Mary Oliver’s poem, “Wild Geese,” to be one of my favorite poems and is very inspiring to me. I also find inspiration in Maya Angelou’s poetry.
Also, one of my favorite poems is “I Keep Six Honest Serving-Men” from “The Elephant Child” by Rudyard Kipling. These poems and poets have also struck a chord as well:  Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”. I also love this poem by Emily Dickinson, "Hope is a thing with feathers", Charles Bukowski’s poetry - There is a quality about Bukowski’s poetry that makes it raw and honest which I admire.

I love William Shakespeare, I find his plays and writing like poetry to me. His writings always made sense to me.
Rainer Maria Rilke, when I was an art student, I remember reading “Letters to a Young Poet” multiple times over and over again. Pablo Neruda, the same thing when I was younger, I had a tape of his romance poems that I would listen to over and over again.


U: What is the greatest contribution an artist or poet can make to society?

V: Their unique vision. And, in return when society takes that vision, honors it, and celebrates it, not only does it exonerate the artist but with this, it creates the cycle of enlightenment throughout the community and society. 

“Lavender Fields Forever,” Acrylic on canvas, 2021, 30" x 15"

U: What draws you to nature beyond the art world?

V: The Light. I am always seeking the light in whatever I do. Be it the light in the painting - Be it sitting on my bench in my front yard looking at the beauty of the sunset and how the colors collide and merge together. Be it the mysterious light of the moon and how it reflects upon the ocean, the lake, the sea - The twinkling light of the stars up above, the happy feelings upon seeing a rainbow. The light in all its glory and how it falls on textures and surfaces is my ultimate delight. In a way, the process of my painting and my life’s journey is summarized in these short words: “I seek the light”.

Please find out more about Vian’s artwork at her site. Also follow her on Instagram, Twitter and like her on Facebook.