An Artist’s Journey

People evolve and grow throughout their lives. We experience new things and take unknown paths that lead to bigger and better things. The same can be said for artists who experiment with different types of media.

Fine artist Victoria Primicias started her career working at advertising agencies, creating logos and designs by hand. Her journey has taken her through mediums such as graphic design, encaustics, oil mixed with cold wax, and acrylic paint. There is no limit to what other mediums she may try in the future.

 Primicias explored various educational opportunities including business studies at Seneca College, graphic design at George Brown College, additional coursework at Ontario College of Art and Design, and received a fine art history bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto.

During the summer she worked at ad agency Solway Varvas, first as a receptionist, then as a full-time production assistant position after graduation.

She became a production assistant and learned various techniques of creating graphic designs by hand. She went back to school at George Brown College in Toronto and obtained a bachelor’s in graphic design, and continued her education with classes at the Ontario College of Art and Design.

Primicias worked in various graphic design jobs but felt she didn’t know enough about art and art history to be considered a true artist. She returned to school yet again at the University of Toronto to get a fine arts degree.

She continued to work as a graphic designer for 25 years, opening a studio and being recruited for various jobs, including designing the logo for the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

In 2009, Primicias moved to Raleigh and continued to work in graphic design. Eventually, she took an interest in fine art, exploring the way abstract paintings made one feel and piecing together what they represent through minimal formations and colors.

In 2012 she began experimenting with encaustics, which is hot wax that is melted, combined with pigment, and applied to canvas or prepared wood using a brush and heat gun. Primicias enjoyed the flow of the medium and the way the texture popped off the canvas, creating a layered experience.

Cardinal’s Solace is one of Primicias’s encaustic paintings. The white and blue wintry scene is serene and frozen. A small red bird perches on a bare tree. The layers of wax interact with the painting by creating billows of snow and clouds, as if one could reach into that icy landscape and be transported into the midst of winter.

The tree depicted in the scene is a photograph layered into the wax to create a naturalistic design.

In another encaustic painting titled When Grey Matters, we see another winter scene, more monochromatic than Cardinal’s Solace. The way the wax is textured and reflects light reminds us of sunshine bouncing off waves, present in any season despite the temperature. This painting highlights Primicias’s graphic design background as she utilizes negative space to create an idealistic winterscape.

After having negative reactions to the fumes from the melting wax, she transitioned to cold wax, which has a softer consistency and can be manipulated without using heat. However, creating a large-scale piece was daunting because of the amount of wax she would have to use, so she transitioned again.

On a visit to the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, she came across a Robert Motherwell painting. Motherwell was an American artist and graphic designer who created pieces of abstract expressionism from the 1930s through the 1970s. The large and simplistic piece motivated Primicias to dive into acrylic painting.

“I’m always open to trying new things,” she says.

Primicias starts her creative process by researching what other contemporary artists are doing. She then uses Adobe Photoshop to create a thumbnail layout of the painting she is imagining. From there she gathers her paints and canvas and begins to work.

Her first exhibit of large-scale abstract expressionist acrylic paintings was at the Mims Art Gallery at North Carolina Wesleyan University in Rocky Mount. Her latest work will be displayed in the New Elements Gallery in downtown Wilmington in October 2024, with pieces including Wrightsville Beach staples such as the Crystal Pier and beach shades blowing in the hot summer breeze. Primicias uses abstract shapes and colors that viewers, especially local people in Wilmington, will recognize as familiar sights during the summer.

Primicias encourages artists to find a balance between creating art that is rewarding to the soul and fulfilling financially. Balancing that delicate scale is another part of the artistic journey. There are endless ways to create and express yourself. Finding what works is unique, challenging, and satisfying in the end.