Vian Borchert: The Artist

Vian Borchert: The Artist

I met Vian Borchert at an art show called RAW DC; and her work intrigued me. She is an expressionist artist with emphasis on portrait paintings. Vian considers herself as an artist of feelings and paints the deep emotions that occupy and sometimes flutter the mind, feelings such as love, despair, loneliness and uncertainty. She uses her figures as vehicles to articulate her feelings about a certain situation, which can be seen  or felt through the stories of news or private matter that intrigues the mind. Vian has achieved success as an artist, and she was featured in a popular publication, The Washington Post. Enjoy the interview below:

1. What inspired or motivated you to pursue your calling?

I can remember, I’ve always been interested in drawing and sketching human figure and was fascinated by their charm. It seem, it was always me – the artistic expressions were natural and effortless. Therefore, it was the natural progression for me to become an artist and consequently an art educator/teacher at an older age. You see, I inherited, the art gene from my mother’s side of the family who are artists, as well.

2. What is the name of your business and tell us a little background about your company?

My main business is producing paintings and drawings for my clients. Therefore, my name, first and last, is what represents me. My name Vian means life and I translate this into all my artworks. An interesting story about my name is that two famous writers bear the same first and last name as mine. The first writer is a French, Boris Vian who, was a novelist and playwright, a jazz connoisseur and critic, and the second is a German author and playwright by the name Wolfgang Borchert. Yet, I am not related to them but it is a pure coincidence and I think it’s intriguing since I love literature and literature is the art of life.

3. What product/service does your business offer your customers?

My product is my artwork which consists of painting and drawings that reflect all facets of life. I am also an independent art teacher. I conduct art classes: water color, acrylic and drawing to adults and children 14 years and above at various art institutions such as Arts Barn in Gaithersburg, Maryland and The Yellow Barn

Andy Warhol's Ghost

Studio in Glen Echo, Maryland, USA.

4. What was the most difficult decision you made when you started your business?

I graduated from the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, DC, and then I worked at the National Gallery of Art and Philips Collection museum where I studied paintings by master artists up close.

As a struggling artist, I had to do some jobs here and there. I worked for some financial companies where I managed accounts for them. I was enclosed in cubicles, inputting data and numbers. This devastated my esteem and I felt trapped in a cube. I felt stifled and I could not breathe freely. Naturally, I think outside the box and I knew then that I needed to get out of the box.

I decided to pursue my dreams. I would say, it is like gravity pulling me back to what I truly am, a naturally born artist blessed by God. So I decided not to hold back on my talent but embrace it and give it my all and watch where it leads me to. Now I am glad I decided to follow my dreams.

5. What defines your ideal customer?

My ideal customer is someone who thinks and feels deeply and eventually learns to appreciates and loves my artwork.

6. What makes your business stand out from your competitors?

I am an expressionist artist with emphasis on the figure. I consider each of my paintings as a visual poem of love, a poem of hopelessness, a poem of melancholy – poems that depict

RAW The Ideal Nose

and capture the expression and the mood of the figure.

I want my art to transcend the viewer into another realm – a thoughtful an intellectual realm. I am not interested in making decorative artwork that looks like a wall paper or a piece of canvas; my artwork is different.

I believe that when the viewer views my work there are a visual, an intimate, deep and thought provoking dialogue between the viewer and the artwork. In simple words, my artwork has to speak on its own and capture the viewer’s attention in an intellectual way. Usually at art shows, you would find a lot of people captivated and mesmerized, just staring and taking pictures, that scenario excites me.

My paintings are life long memories and they reflect every part of daily life. For example, one of my customers states that “When she wakes up in the morning to have a cup of coffee, she gazes at the painting and she is always enthralled.” Also, a physician who bought my painting mentioned that it inspires her to write poetry. This is what makes me proud of my artwork.

7. How did you provide superior customer service to a client?

Since my paintings are all unique, I sell my paintings professionally framed and exceedingly

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well presented and signed by me. All artwork I sell is original and 100% handmade by me from scratch.

8. How can your customers contact your company i.e. how can they purchase your product?

You can visit my website www.vianborchert.com to view pictures of my work. Also become fans on my facebook page: Vian Borchert Fine Arts and follow me on twitter @ViansArtCorner.

To purchase pieces of my work or have any questions send me an email at: vianborchert@gmail.com or vian@vianborchert.com.

9. Any customer testimonials?

The best testimonials are the positive praises I get especially from fans on my facebook page: Vian Borchert Fine Arts. These are people who I am not familiar with so, they are always giving a shout out on my page when they receive their paintings. Some of my best testimonials are press related, Visit my press page below:

http://www.vianborchert.com/press

10. Do you have any advice for inspiring entrepreneurs?

My advice to anyone who wants to start a business is to follow your heart and never get distracted. Pursue what makes you happy. Of course, hard work comes with the territory in order to achieve success. I usually sleep at 2am everyday to create an art work that distinguishes itself from the competition but, that is a price I am willing to pay continuously  to achieve success.

Always have a positive attitude and believe in your product and your customers will always be confident in you.

Don’t miss her next exhibition at the Yellow Barn Gallery, Glen Echo Park, Maryland, 7300 Mac Arthur Blvd, Glen Echo, MD 20812, from March 17th to March 18th, 2012. The Gallery hours are from 12pm to 5pm. The Event is opened to the public.

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