Vera Tchikovani  San Francisco, California

Artist's Statement

Vera Tchikovani currently lives and works in San Francisco and  in her second home in Forestville, California.  She is of Russian descent, was born in Hungary and was brought up in Paris, France and came to the US in her early teens.  She received an M A and did post graduate work in Slavic Languages and Literature at UC, Berkeley, and received a second MA in education from Holy Names College in Oakland, Ca.  She taught Russian language, literature and culture at City College of San Francisco and the University of San Francisco for many years.  In addition to her involvement in education she was always  interested in art both practically and theoretically.  She studied oil painting at City College of San Francisco for four years, and has been pursuing a serious career as a painter for the last five years.  Her work was included in a group exhibition "Painting in the South of France" at the Live Worms Gallery in San Francisco, she also exhibited her work at the gallery at City College of San Francisco, , and recently had a six week  "solo show" at Pedroncelli Winery in Geyserville, California.  She is a member of San Francisco Women Artists Association.

 The focus of her paintings has been landscapes.  Her paintings are luscious with luminous and vibrant colors.  The pigments are built up to create a texture, and her rich colors shimmer across the surface.  "I am constantly thinking about the language of color and how to express the experience one has when viewing the beauty of nature," she says.  Her paintings are infused with passion.  The landscape elements are reduced to strong basic forms and are constructed with an exciting directness. 

In her more recent series of paintings she has been exploring texture and the use of new materials such as plaster and found objects.  She says:  "I am inspired by surfaces that show the passage of time.  I want to transmit to the viewer the history, the passage of time and the treasures it leaves behind."  In the creation of these pieces she begins by covering the panels with plaster to create a textured surface and sometimes even uses found objects to transmit the idea of time past and the gifts it left behind.  "Experimentation and discovery keep me challenged.  I want to explore the endless possibilities of creation.  The process of painting is to me as important as the completion of a piece,"  she explains.

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