Vesna’s early career included teaching art in Southern California at the high school level and later creating and running her own gallery, Wild Blue, for twelve years in West Los Angeles. After her move to Northern California, she became a founding member of the Healdsburg Center for the Arts, where she exhibited and curated shows for 15 years as well as serving on the board of directors.

As an artist, she works in several media, painting, ceramics and jewelry. In her early thirties, she discovered Memphis Milan furniture from Italy and their playful approach to form and color became an inspiration. She exhibited nationally through galleries and the ACC shows and her furniture sequed into interior design.

She has lived in Healdsburg for over 28 years and being surrounded by natural beauty has inspired her in a new way. Becoming intrigued with trees, leaves and branches, their shape, color and texture, Vesna experimented with several media to create her own interpretation of leaves. This current combination of materials allows her to work intuitively and the design is guided by organic materials. Willow branches have become the backbone of her new work and bronze wire plays within this constraint. The parchment fills the void within the lines with texture and the shellac tightens the parchment adding color and transparency.

The climate crisis, migrations of thousands of refugees escaping war and famine and the evacuations caused by floods and local fires have inspired this “Groundless Series”. A simple arching boat shape is filled with bundled belongings, the few precious and necessary objects to continue life elsewhere…..life’s basic needs.

The boat is a human creation, resilient in the face of obstacles and a symbol of hope.