Virginia Klute has always been interested in art, beginning as a child with crayons, and graduating to water color. She has always loved color and painted natural subjects, from ferns and flowers to mushrooms and birds. This started with childhood walks in the woods with her father: Then there was an elementary school bus trip to the New York Botanical Garden, which she never forgot: tall tropical trees, huge ferns, in a 2 story glass conservatory. Unforgettable! And a path to the future.

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While contemplating retirement from her profession as a Periodontist, she enrolled in the NY Botanical Garden program: Botanical Art and Illustration. The many hours of classwork included Drawing, Pen/ink, Plant Anatomy and multiple classes in water color, with a special interest in Wild Flowers. This resulted in the required final project: Wild Flowers in Water Color: which resulted in her certificate in 2010.

 

Her goal is to paint living natural subjects,  and have them appear as real:  feathers should be floating, almost ethereal, soft objects. Many layers are painted, in order to add depth, movement and dimension, which, she feels, cannot be shown in photographs.  

 

This is why I paint from life. I want the viewer to wonder if it is real or if it is a painting. I want to inspire others to look and see the fine things in our natural world.

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Virginia Klute is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, the Southwestern Association of Artists, and the San Diego Water Color Society. She was juried into the Spanish Village Art Association in Water Color, and also in Pen/ Ink with Water Color. She shows in galleries 23 and 37. And sometimes, in Gallery 21, for the Art Teacher's art show, and the Small Images show. She teaches Water Color in a Botanical program in Spanish Village.