Onna Voellmer (b.1973) spent the first half of her life immersed in the natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest, in Washington State, surrounded by the tall trees and the giant volcanoes of the Cascade Range. This early connection to nature and place has formed the core of her work: a weaving of place and self and the inherent interconnection between them. Her work is both minimalist and expressive—shifting between blocky shapes, auras of color, and expressive movement and marks. It is a meditation on space and balance that distills the experience of place and memory into the visual poetry of shapes and marks.
“My work is both meditative and literal, taking on the unique feel of being in a landscape—that feeling of space, the sun warming your skin, memories that are awoken by the scents, the sound of a bee nearby, the blurry flash of a bird that just passes your gaze.“
She earned her BFA in 2000, in both painting and sculpture. Her formal studies include fine arts, geography, soil science, and anthropology. Her work has been exhibited nationally, and has found homes with collectors nationally and internationally. Collections include the Element Hotel by Marriot in Sedona Arizona, Baron Properties in Phoenix Arizona, Montana Wilderness Association in Helena Montana, and Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland Washington. Her work was awarded the Grand Prize in the 18th Annual Artlink Juried Competition at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. Her paintings and wall sculptures have been used in television, most recently on the Showtime Series: The Curse. She currently lives and works in Santa Fe County, NM, immersed in the beauty and magic of northern New Mexico.