Eva Volf
Eva Volf is a Cleveland-based fine artist known for atmospheric oil-on-canvas seascapes inspired by her travels, coastal memories and connection to the sea, with her work exhibited and collected internationally.
Eva Volf is a fine artist from Cleveland, United States, whose love of the Sea flows deeply from childhood memories. Inspired by the majesty of the oceans and beaches of the world, experienced during her extensive travels, she channels her emotions of tranquility and fulfillment to the viewer through oil on canvas. Conceptualized at the source, each seascape is sketched at the beach to capture the vision before completion in the studio.
Eva is an active member of the arts community, serving as Social Media Director of the American Artists Professional League in NYC. She is also a member of the American Society of Marine Artists, the Oil Painters of America and the International Guild of Realism.
Her work has been featured in many notable national and international juried exhibitions, including the 96th, 97th and 98th Grand National Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club of New York and Modern Marine Masters at Cavalier Galleries, as well as in major publications, including the American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, Plein Air and Vogue Magazines.
Eva’s work is held in numerous private, corporate and public collections in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia, including the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Dupler Office, Tipping Point Media Group and Charter Communications (Spectrum) Corporate Offices.
Interview with Eva Volf
Cleveland-based fine artist Eva Volf has spent much of her life drawn to the sea. Growing up with a love of drawing and painting, Eva now channels her connection to the coast into contemporary realist oil paintings, capturing the tranquillity, movement and changing light of the ocean. Living by Lake Erie and travelling extensively, she regularly paints plein air studies at the beach before developing larger works in her studio.
Her work has been exhibited in juried shows across the US and internationally, including Modern Marine Masters at Cavalier Galleries in New York, and featured in publications including American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, Plein Air and Vogue. Eva is also an active member of the arts community, serving as Social Media Director for the American Artists Professional League and as a member of the American Society of Marine Artists, Oil Painters of America and the International Guild of Realism.
We spoke to Eva about her early love of art, the places and experiences that inspire her seascapes, her plein air practice, and the role of social media in her career. She also shares her advice for emerging artists, her approach to overcoming creative blocks and why Daler-Rowney Georgian Oil Colours have become an important part of her studio practice.
When did your love of art start? Did you always want to be an artist?
I loved drawing and painting since I was a kid, and I always wanted to be an artist, a musician or a dancer.
How would you describe your artistic style in three words?
Painterly contemporary realism.
What would be your advice for new artists just starting up?
Take workshops with living masters in your genre and paint from direct observation of your subject: paint outdoors if you are a landscape painter, do live figure and portrait studies if you are a figurative painter, etc.
What do you hope people feel when they see your work?
Serenity, peacefulness and inspiration.
What is the best tip you were told early in your career?
Share your story, process and inspiration on social media.
Which artists, past or present, have had the biggest influence on your work?
Donald Demers, Joseph McGurl
How has social media or online platforms influenced your artistic journey?
Social media helps me connect with other artists and art lovers around the world. I share my inspiration, my travels, my plein air studies, my studio process, art reveals, reviews from my customers, my studio news and upcoming shows, awards and publications. I appreciate the support I feel on social media and love my followers, who are an essential part of my art journey.
How do you navigate the moments when an artwork isn’t developing as you imagined?
Often my paintings just flow easily and almost paint themselves. When I feel I have something else to say in a painting, I easily change it, paint over it, or even start a new canvas. The most important thing for me in my creative practice is to learn and to enjoy the process.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I live by Lake Erie, where I often go sailing with my family. We also love travelling, and what amazes me is how diverse the coastlines and beaches around the world are. My favourite places to paint are Hawaii, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Florida, the Carolinas and Maine.
How do you know when a piece is finished?
I know that a piece is finished when I look at it and feel the same emotions I experienced on location.
How do you overcome creative blocks?
I go outside and paint plein air from direct observation – Mother Nature always inspires me in so many ways.
Is there one Daler-Rowney material you couldn't work without?
I love Daler-Rowney Georgian oil colors for their buttery consistency, richness of pigment and variety of colors.
What is a technique that you haven't tried yet that you would love to try & why?
I would love to try water-soluble oils to avoid using solvents.
If you could create a piece for anyone, past or present, who would it be and why?
I would love to create the biggest seascape painting a canvas can hold, with just deep open sea, a hazy horizon and the sunlight reflections playing on the waves. I would love it to take up almost a whole wall in a public place like a hospital or a hotel, so that people looking at it would instantly relax and feel the soothing and healing rhythm of the sea.
What has been your favourite commission to date and why?
Recently, an elderly couple commissioned me to paint a scene of them both walking along the beach looking towards an approaching storm over the ocean. They have been through a lot of storms in their life always surviving, always supporting each other. This painting is a celebration of human spirit and their life journey.
What's been your most memorable exhibition or event, and what made it special?
Last summer I was honored to be have my painting included into a highly competitive show Modern Marine Masters by the American Society of Marine Artists at prestigious Cavalier Galleries in New York City.
What's been the proudest moment of your artistic career so far?
I am very proud to be invited to demo and teach at the annual Plein Air Convention and Expo organized by Plein Air Magazine for several years in a row. Thousands of artists gather in the most beautiful places in the U.S.: Lake Tahoe, the Ozarks, and National Parks in Utah, and share our skills and love of painting outdoors.
What does your creative process usually look like from initial idea to finished artwork?
I usually paint sketches and studies directly at the beach, and later in the studio, I use these studies along with my photography to paint larger pieces.
If you weren't an artist, what do you think you'd be doing?
Social media manager for a brand of art supplies or an art magazine. I serve on the board of directors of the American Artists Professional League as Social Media Director and enjoy promoting the work of our members, sharing news, shows and upcoming events with our community.
What hobbies you have that are not art related?
I love sailing, swimming and surfing, this way I spend a lot of time on the water or immersed in the water, and I am constantly inspired and connected to my subject.
When did your love of art start? Did you always want to be an artist?
I loved drawing and painting since I was a kid, and I always wanted to be an artist, a musician or a dancer.
How would you describe your artistic style in three words?
Painterly contemporary realism.
What would be your advice for new artists just starting up?
Take workshops with living masters in your genre and paint from direct observation of your subject: paint outdoors if you are a landscape painter, do live figure and portrait studies if you are a figurative painter, etc.
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