The Second Chapter : Interview with Vian Borchert (English ver.)

 

The ninth conversation in our series, The Artist’s Muse, introduces Vian Borchert, an established expressionist artist for whom painting is a form of "visual poetry." With a career spanning three decades as an artist, educator, and critic, Vian navigates the Washington D.C. and New York art scenes not merely as an observer, but as an innovative visionary shaping the abstract expressionist movement through the lens of the subconscious.

Vian’s practice is a lyrical exploration of the environments she inhabits and traverses. While her early work was rooted in a deep investigation of human psychology through expressive figuration, her current focus has shifted toward a rigorous abstraction of the world around her. In her ongoing series, Electric, she conducts a symbolic archaeology of urban decay—capturing the neglected bridges and frayed structures encountered on the road between NYC and DC. These works serve as a poignant metaphor for uncertain times, calling for a collective mending of our societal and environmental fabric.

In this dialogue, Vian reflects on the enduring presence of her primary muses: the sea and the sky. Born by the Mediterranean, the "abstracted blue" of the ocean remains a constant anchor in her work, a sensory return to childhood serenity. Yet, it is in the celestial realm where her identity as a "dreamer" truly takes flight. This is powerfully embodied in her 2023 work, Two Happy Clouds, where a fleeting moment over Venice Beach is transformed into a monumental archive of joy. Through layered brushstrokes, she personifies these atmospheric forms, turning them into symbols of human affection and shared bubbles of peace.

For Vian, inspiration is not a sought-after commodity but a "sweeping river of ideas" that constantly surfaces, even in her dreams. She maintains her creative focus through meditative stillness, filtering external noise to remain porous to her inner truth. Her journey is a testament to the power of authenticity, where the act of creating art becomes a way of speaking one's own truth on canvas.

We now invite you to step into the poetic, expansive world of Vian Borchert—a place where the decay of a city and the softness of a cloud are both rendered with equal parts strength and grace, reminding us that art is the most truthful way to speak to the world.

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Q. Thank you for joining us today—it's wonderful to meet you. I'd love to begin by hearing about you and your practice. How would you introduce yourself as an artist, and what work are you currently engaged with?

A. I am an established expressionist artist who does lyrical and poetic abstract works of art. I describe my art as a form of “visual poetry”. I've been creating artwork professionally for 30 years and teaching art classes for adults in the Washington DC area for 2 decades. Besides my art education and expertise, I've been shaping abstract expressionist art movement with my innovative vision and philosophies on creativity and the role of the subconscious coming alive through my work. Moreover, I've been writing on art within the DC area, NYC and beyond over many years covering major retrospectives and the importance of the arts in one's life. As of late, I've been named in MSN news as one of the top ten creative people of 2025. One can learn more about me by visiting my website at: www.vianborchert.com

My latest work is an engagement of the world around me and what I see when I am on the road from NYC to DC and through the cities and towns that I pass through on the way, such as Baltimore, Philadelphia and others. The ongoing series is titled "Electric" where it is loose and abstract depiction of the urban decay befallen these cities of neglected bridges, decayed structures and the disarray that had fallen upon certain parts especially the forgotten parts of urban development. The work is symbolic of uncertain times that needs much mending where we the people have to rise up and take action for a better societal living conditions and healthy environment for us and our children to grow within. One can see a number of these painting within this series at the online marketplace and auctions of "1stDibs" where also my artwork can be purchased from worldwide. Link: https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/vian-borchert/art/

And, on “Artsy” also available worldwide at this link: https://www.artsy.net/artist/vian-borchert

Q. What is the main source of inspiration for your current work? When did this particular muse first become meaningful to you, and can you describe that initial encounter?

A. Initially, when I began creating artwork, I worked primarily as a figurative artist, drawing from the people closest to me. Friends and classmates served as my models, sitting for me during college and in the years that followed. Later, my husband, daughter, and son also became my muses, posing for me and inspiring several of my early abstracted expressionist figurative works.

Over time, as an avid lover of nature, I felt compelled to express this part of myself through my art in a more abstract, modern, and fresh way. I began creating paintings inspired by my surroundings and the places I have lived. Among these explorations, my ongoing abstracted blue seascapes have endured the longest and remain central to my practice. Born by the Mediterranean Sea, its presence appears frequently throughout my work. It is a theme I continually return to, allowing me to revisit childhood memories and reconnect with moments of joy and serenity by the water.

At the same time, living in a wooded area in the Washington, DC region has been a profound influence on my work. A number of my Woods themed work have resonated deeply and created trends inspiring budding artists worldwide as well as those in the interior design and decor fields. More recently, my work has shifted toward architecture and structure, since I am an architect at heart.

Overall, the places and vistas encountered through my travels, as well as the environments in which I have lived, continually reappear in my work as reimagined and revived echoes of distant spaces I once inhabited.

Q. When you first discovered this source of inspiration, what emotions did you experience? How did it change your artistic direction or working methods afterward?

A. As a child, I have always felt a deep love for the land and for Mother Earth. I come from a family that honors the land and respects the earth, along with the abundance and fruits it generously provides. I owe much of this love of nature to my father, who is himself a devoted nature lover and takes great care in tending his garden and orchard.

Growing up, although I was very much a city kid, our weekends were always spent in the countryside, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the fruits and vegetables harvested from my father’s orchard. I often helped my father and neighboring farmers gather fruit from the trees, especially during the olive harvest. As you can imagine, this connection to the land was instilled in me from an early age. Those formative experiences immersed in the beauty of nature and its scenic views became part of who I am and continue to make appearance throughout my work.

Clouds Over Ocean

Morning Light

Q. How does your muse typically appear to you—as visual images, sounds, spatial feelings, or particular emotions? Could you describe its specific characteristics or qualities in detail?

A. Muses have come to me in many shapes and forms. Early on, I was primarily drawn to human psychology and the state of the human mind, which I explored through expressive figurative work. Over time, nature took center stage in my practice, as my travels and voyages by the sea were transformed into abstracted seascapes and cityscapes on the canvas.

From childhood, I possessed a natural talent and God given gift for artistic and creative pursuits. To this day, I possess what one might call a “photographic memory”, allowing me to recall geographic places and routes in precise detail, even decades after I have last visited them. I consider this one of my unique strengths and attributes, an innate quality that sets me apart and contributes to the distinctiveness of my artistic voice.

These memories of places experienced throughout my life resurface as fleeting impressions in my work, emerging through abstraction and guided by my personal aesthetic and vision. If I were to identify a single emotion or space that resonates most deeply, it would be the sky. Looking upward and observing cloud formations has been a lifelong habit, one that began in childhood and continues to this day. Much of my recent work explores clouds, skyscapes, and expansive blue skies as a reflection of being a dreamer first and foremost.

Q. Could you walk us through one specific work that you feel most powerfully embodies your muse? What was the journey from initial inspiration to finished piece, and what challenges or discoveries emerged along the way?

A. One of my favorite works created in 2023 is a large painting titled “Two Happy Clouds”, executed in acrylic on canvas and measuring at 36” x 36” inches. The piece was inspired by a striking cloud formation over Venice Beach in Los Angeles, California. LA is one of the places where I lived as a child.

During an early evening walk before sunset, after an early supper, I took in the vibrant activity along Venice Beach: a live singer performing nearby, roller skaters gliding along the path, and the energy of the shoreline all around me. In that moment, I was deeply moved by the light captured within the fluffy cloud formations stretching across the horizon above the Pacific Ocean. That panoramic view remains vivid in my memory even now.

Back in the studio, I worked feverishly to recreate those clouds, using countless brushstrokes and layered marks to convey the softness, movement, and beauty I had experienced on that summer day. The painting carries a joyful title because the sight of that luminous sky filled me with happiness, and those two distinct clouds hovering above the ocean seemed full of delight. It was truly a special moment, one that I felt compelled to preserve and archive through painting.

Two Happy Clouds

Q. Has your relationship with your muse evolved over time? Are there aspects that have deepened or new dimensions you've discovered that you'd like to share?

A. The sky and its ever changing cloud formations have always been a profound source of inspiration for me. In some works, the clouds appear more abstract, while in others such as “Two Happy Clouds” they are more fully rendered, allowing the focus to shift toward their personification. In this piece, the clouds become almost human, as if they are two people in love, floating together in a shared bubble, on “cloud 9”, minds in the clouds, fully immersed in their affection for one another. The work is also symbolic of two people in love living in “LA LA Land,” a playful and layered reference to LA / Los Angeles itself. In this way, the imagery, emotion, and metaphor merge, coming together both poetically and symbolically within the painting.

Q. Do you have any intentional activities or routines for connecting with inspiration? Conversely, when inspiration doesn't come easily, how do you handle those periods?

A. Inspiration comes to me constantly. In fact, I often find myself at the opposite end, where my active mind is almost bombarded with ideas. When I go to sleep, images surface, and even in my dreams, vivid, colorful visions appear and move through my subconscious. Truthfully, I have never struggled to find inspiration, it simply comes to me. I believe this is one of the true marks of an artist, rather than someone merely aspiring to become one that is if I am to be completely earnest in my response. That said, in order to quiet my mind and bring focus to this sweeping river of ideas, I do engage in meditative practices. Meditation brings me moments of stillness that center me, offering much needed calm from external noise and the overthinking that can, at times, clutter the mind.

Q. Can you tell us about a moment when your muse led you somewhere unexpected or challenging? What did you discover about yourself or your practice through that experience?

A. I recall a time when a model sat for me and the session evolved into something resembling a psychological session exchange. In that moment, I felt less like an artist and more like a healer or a psychologist, as the model, on her own accord, began to open up. She shared her sadness and spoke of memories of her father, who had died from cancer, and the grief she endured after losing him at such a young age to such a devastating disease. I titled the piece “The Conversation” because of the depth and intensity of that experience and the powerful moment that unfolded between the sitter and the artist during the creation of the work.

The Conversation

Q. How does your audience's response to your work affect your relationship with your muse? Have viewers ever helped you see new aspects of your inspiration that you hadn't noticed before?

A. Yes, viewers often bring their own interpretations to my works of art, especially the abstract ones. Many have shared that they see ports, harbors, ships, or rocky landscapes in my work, opening my eyes to the varying and personal voices and ways of seeing. This, to me, is the true beauty of art and how individual perspectives and lived experiences give rise to new meanings, emotions, and discoveries through a single work.

Q. How do you balance staying true to your core inspiration while also allowing room for growth and change? Have there been times when you've had to choose between following your muse and meeting external expectations?

A. It simply happens naturally when you stay true to yourself. That is the key: being authentic to who you truly are. For me, art has always been a personal voice and vision that I bring forth onto the canvas, connecting with the world through my creations. Creating art is my way of speaking my own truth on canvas. This is why, as an artist of many years, I urge budding and emerging artists to follow their own vision rather than turn to social media to imitate trends or try to do works they think others will like. The whole point of creating art is to be truthful, first and foremost to who you truly are.

Q. Thank you so much for sharing such thoughtful insights with us today. As we conclude our conversation, Looking ahead, in what direction do you think your muse will develop or expand? Are there new territories of inspiration you're eager to explore, and what draws you to them?

A. As an innovative creator and individual, I often find myself in stages of reflection, reevaluating my direction, growth, and the new paths I wish to explore in my lifetime. As the new year 2026 begins, I feel I am at a crossroads / a fork in the road, where the idea of reinvention comes to mind. I aim to explore uncharted territories, venturing slightly beyond art while still pursuing creative endeavors that may offer fresh insights and perspectives. My personality trait is one that seeks adventure through seeking ventures and connections that can enrich my experience, or at the very least, provide valuable life lessons along the way. 

Orange Woods

Contact

Artist : Vian Borchert

Instagram : @vianborchert