BIO:

Vickie Love is a Brooklyn born and raised artist whose art reflects her experiences navigating the lively, culturally-diverse, and fashion-forward New York City. Vickie is a self-taught artist with an eye for fashion, art, and design that invites viewers to discover how vibrant colors and vivid images can awaken the spirit and raise our collective, spiritual consciousness. Her work reflects the true nature of love—love that is not bound by gender or social norms, but love that is inclusive, liberating, and powerful.

Having earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from John Jay College in 1994, Vickie Love worked as a Research Analyst and Special Investigator for 26 years. While enjoying retirement and embarking on various business ventures in 2010, Vickie picked up a paint brush and ventured into a personal journey toward art-making. She discovered not only a love of artistry but also reconnected with the innate gift of creativity that has always been an important part of who she is and how she sees the world. Vickie’s dedication to art-making led her to creating images from her imagination, exploring different painting and drawing techniques, and expanding her work to include various aspects of texture and color. In addition to her artwork, which is primarily acrylic on canvas, Vickie also works with natural stones, expanding her artistry to include fashionable, handcrafted jewelry.

 

Artist Statement:

Fascinated with combining abstract caricatures and realism, my work uses vivid colors to render imaginative, liberating images that depict love as freedom. My images incorporate an aesthetic that speaks to alternative lifestyles and alternate ways of interpreting the body, the spirit, and the intersections of the two. Illustrations of elongated human bodies, gestures of prayer, and celestial beings speak to my intense spiritual connection to my ancestors, who guide and inspire my work. My latest body of work, “The Red, Black, & Green Series” is particularly imbued with ancestral inspiration and affords me the opportunity to honor my ancestors while calling upon their sacred energies to fulfill my potential here on earth. Additionally, connecting with the earth’s energy in conjunction with the spirit dynamic, has brought forth uniquely-styled jewelry that features natural stones such as onyx, sardonyx, tiger eye, amethyst, and others. My art work, whether acrylic paintings or stone jewelry creations, is greatly influenced by spirituality, mindfulness, and nature. My art is an extension of who I am and how I view the world around me, a view informed by a vivid imagination, a passion to uplift others, a firm belief in the power of love.