Meet the Artist: Vicki Chelf

May 2022—Vicki Chelf, raised in Louisville, Kentucky, spent her 20’s in Val-David, Quebec, a village of artisans and hippies. There, she wrote what she believes is the first vegetarian cookbook published in French, which provided her the means to attend Ringling College of Art and Design for a degree in Fine Art. Following graduation, Chelf released further cookbooks which allowed her to pursue her passion of fine art painting, including studying classical drawing with Charlie Miano at the Southern Atelier

Chelf has accomplished much in her career, including several one-person shows in the US, Canada, and France at notable galleries. In addition, Chelf has worked for The Ringling Bros. Circus as a foam carver and scenic painter, as well as a foundry assistant casting Duane Hanson’s sculptures. Chelf’s current series, represented by Art Avenue (1440 Main Street, Sarasota), highlights women who were important to the French Resistance during WWII. The pieces are all 36”x48” oil paintings over collaged vintage French newspapers from 1935. 

Says Chelf, “Finding a trove of beautifully illustrated vintage newspapers in the basement of a friend’s home in central France was like discovering a creative goldmine. I knew they would somehow be used in my art, but I didn’t know how until I visited a Museum of the Resistance in the small town where they were found. Within 3 minutes of entering the museum I was sobbing. The museum was founded and run by a local woman whose mother had been a resistance fighter. I soon realized how important women were to defeating fascism and I wanted to pay homage to these brave and beautiful women. The series will continue with portraits of strong and rebellious women that correspond to the different years of the newspapers in this collection.”

More of Chelf’s work can be found at her website, www.vrchelf.com.