Vessna Scheff is an artist based in Philadelphia, PA.

Through large, expressive brushstrokes, movement and detailed portraits across textured papers, Vessna Scheff creates emotive works using a combination of watercolors, acrylic, pastel, pencil and pen. Scheff’s energetic brushstrokes, bright colors and thick application challenge how watercolors are traditionally used as a sketch medium. While her portraits are very realistic in form, yet play heavily with the power of color, not just the color we see but challenge our perception for the color of people. Scheff creates a map like structure of the face drawing the viewer into story behind each portrait. Floating in space or extending off the page, Scheff’s portraits, much like her abstracts convey a sense of movement and continuation, as though the story doesn’t end here but it just beginning.

Such a wide array of watercolor textures are captured in Scheff’s works conveying that watercolors are not a means to an end but an end in themselves. Materially, Scheff’s pieces interact powerfully with the surface of the page and rely heavily on the spontaneity of water in their creation. Each added mark is in response to the one before it creating emotional and physical depth over many layers. Emotionally, they challenge our expectations for watercolor and “skin color”. Her abstracts build upon the colors of her portraits diving deeper into concepts of freedom, dance, ownership over our body, movement and empowerment.

In a society that continually separates people of color from their power and their bodies, Scheff’s works are an expression of the power found in color. They force us to confront our biases, challenge our expectations for abstraction through watercolor and move us towards self-reflection and empowerment.

Merging powerful vocals with projections of her dynamic watercolor footage in gallery openings, Scheff creates a mesmerizing, encompassing and transformative experience through her works.