Audra, Dreaming

Vanessa Lemen is an award-winning painter based in Carlsbad, CA, with works exhibited and in private collections internationally. Her paintings are layered in subtle allegory, with an explorative process that intertwines realism and abstract to depict humanity, metaphor and story. Her work is featured in the illustrated limited edition of The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin (Easton Press/MBI Inc) and in the illustrated limited editions of A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick (Suntup Editions). Her work has also been published in such art books as Spectrum and Infected By Art, and has been featured in articles in magazines such as American Art Collector, ImagineFX, and Poets And Artists. In addition to writing monthly columns for the Muddy Colors blog, Vanessa is an educator who mentors privately, teaches classes online both privately and for the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, and instructs at workshops across the US. Her recent work has earned her the Chesley Award and other awards in publications such as Infected By Art, a Spectrum Award nomination, as well as multiple awards in the Art Renewal Center's ARC Salon, and participation in the International ARC Salon Exhibition.