The ‘intuitive’ art of Victoria Bearden

 

Victoria Bearden’s paintings give form to the unseen world around us. Through her paintings she brings to life the powerful symbols of the world’s mythologies and legends.Her Arts Alive banner titled “Ocean Song” portrays a mermaid as the embodiment of the Sea. Bearden says, “Like the Singing Sirens of Greek mythology, the mermaid is one of the original ‘femme fatales’ — mysterious, beautiful, alluring, and potentially deadly, like the ocean itself.” She explains that in most legends, the mermaid is a protector of the waters, as well as the creatures and treasures that lie beneath the waves. “To me, the mermaid seemed like the perfect symbol to represent our need to respect and protect our beautiful, life-sustaining Ocean.”

Although she is gaining recognition as a painter, many will recognize Victoria Bearden’s name for a different reason. A well-known professional astrologer and psychic, she worked at Phoenix Phyre Books in Encinitas for many years. When asked how her two careers relate Bearden states, “I believe art is a portal to other realms and dimensions and my experience as a metaphysician and intuitive practitioner is most definitely interconnected with my art.”

Having studied the arts, philosophy, and metaphysics for most of her life, Bearden remembers her first experience of the paranormal at the age of four. As a young teenager she began her journey into astrology and mysticism studying astrology through the Rosicrucian Fellowship. She later refined her skills and learned advanced astrology techniques, as well as the art of Tarot, while attending college in Eugene, Oregon

As both a clairvoyant and clairaudient, Bearden not only sees images and receives messages not perceived by those less receptive to the paranormal, but she is also able to read the human aura. By gathering information from the unseen world, she helps others achieve clarity in their lives.

Bearden earned BFA and MFA degrees through the Visual Arts Department at UCSD, where her primary focus was Video Art and Interdisciplinary Arts. Her interest in artistic collaboration spawned many projects merging dance, music, lighting environments, and visual media. While still in graduate school she produced award winning experimental video art, which has been shown in galleries worldwide.

Challenges in her personal life led her to abandon her career as a Video Artist, but after a long hiatus, Bearden re-emerged ten years ago as a painter. “The difficulties in my life made me realize I couldn’t live without art anymore. I needed it to help me heal.” She studied at Watts Atelier and Studio 2nd Street in Encinitas and since that time her paintings have been shown at the Cannon Art Gallery, San Diego Art Institute, Oceanside Art Gallery, Encinitas Library, and the Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association. Currently a member of Oceanside Museum of Art Artist’s Alliance, she impressed the crowd with her live painting demonstration during Oceanside Museum of Art’s recent Art After Dark event.

Creating paintings inspired by dreams, visions, experiences, and memories, Bearden states, “Art is a way to communicate things that are beyond words … a sacred pathway, like music, that can take us to another dimension.”

She continues, “I seek to connect with my audience on an intuitive level, but also in an emotional and visceral way. I hope my work inspires others to find the key to their own inner world, and the world of imagination.”

Bearden accepts commissioned work, private instruction, and live art demonstrations. Her work can be seen at vbearden.com. To find out more about her astrological and psychic readings go to astrologervic.com.

See Victoria Bearden’s banner “Ocean Song” in the Arts Alive live auction in the Cardiff Town Center Courtyard, starting at 2 p.m. May 26. All of the banners can be seen in the online auction guide at artsaliveencinitas.com.