Putting in the years and creating a huge and strong body of work was the norm to be considered an artist. I was educated under the old school beliefs that "Pain" is essential in creating a "Painting". And, to be honest, this is one of the main reasons why I ended up an artist and I went to art school, to help me navigate my pain into paintings. Art was and still is till today a visual language for me to bring forth what is within me onto the canvas, be it joyful thoughts or melancholic ones. My life's experience is transparent and transmitted onto canvas so to speak, and painting is a vehicle for me for that transportation.

I am most proud of the body of work I have created throughout the years and the fact that my art resonates, inspires, enriches, enlightens and even changes people’s lives for the better. I have seen people tell me that my art has moved them so much that they wrote poetry about it. I have seen people gather around my art in exhibitions and engage in deep conversations with strangers about my art. I have seen people completely change their whole life direction after experiencing and being inspired by my path and artistic career. I know I have changed so many lives for the better due to the creative awakening that my art has on people’s lives.

Beyond the woods, I am very much a water person, I love the sea which is an essential source of inspiration throughout my art career. Hence, my love for the big blue is apparent in my work. Variations of the color blue have also made appearances in my abstract work.

When looking at the paintings by Vian Borchert, you can see the artist’s distinct style in each piece. Her artwork always carries a deep personal meaning and is connected to the various experiences the artist has had throughout her life. Borchert’s artwork is full of geometrical shapes. It seems as if when entering the abstract space of the artist’s canvas, they go through a filter that not only alters their form but also puts them in a new context. And just like the title of one of the pieces – “Restructured Perspective” – this is where new points of view arise.

Vian Borchert’s art reflects how she perceives the world around her. As a highly observant person, she strips phenomena down to their very core and looks past their physical shell. The artist’s stylistic choices are more than fitting for the way Vian Borchert approaches art. Her new artworks combine collage art and painting, manifesting her variegated experiences. The unique composition of the masterfully aligned elements expresses the deep desire to create, reconstruct, and heal.

I describe my artwork as a form of visual poetry. In my landscape paintings, my intent is to capture the natural light that occupies the atmosphere and bring it forth within the landscape.

Lavender Fields Forever, is a painting that embodies the feelings of joy and rejuvenation achieved through the love for nature and its abundant beauty and endless bounty that it bestows upon humanity.

Each issue of Up the Staircase Quarterly features an Issue Illustrator, an artist whose work was chosen to pair with and complement the poetry of the quarter. Issue #60's artist is Vian Borchert

Borchert tries to depict the architectural flair within her paintings, and she does it wonderfully. “My artwork reflects my dreams and inspirations. In my abstracted architectural cityscapes, there is an emphasis on tall buildings and looking up."

In a way, I joke and say my early journey is similar to the one of famous writer Franz Kafka where he was an insurance clerk by day while at night, he wrote his “Metamorphosis” novel and masterpiece. Nevertheless, despite the fact that I am a person of multi-talent, I felt that the 9-5 desk job was suffocating to the creative free thinker of a person that I am and to my sense of identity. Eventually, the artistic nature within me took over and I left the finance world to the fine art world.

Nature plays a huge part in my artistic journey. I am an avid nature observer where contemplating upon nature helps me attain moments of Zen.

"Vian Borchert’s series of floral landscape paintings is done from pure imagination. To create the picturesque scenes in her works, the artist had to assimilate herself with her innermost thoughts and feelings from the past and present. This allowed her to create a distinct green universe densely impregnated with flowers, romance, and mysticism."

I stood there overlooking green heights
and how the flowers shook
at every heart beat.

I think poetry is similar to abstract art in that it involves symbolism and mystery. There’s a lot of imagination involved, you can play with metaphors, allusions, and a lot of other things that language gives you. And that’s what I do in art as well. I want the viewer to use their imagination and let the subconscious run wild.

It is that similar raw honesty that Borchert also aims to bring forth in this new work. The buildings now stand tall, yet almost crying covered with blue rain telling a different story of a Summer that fell into the blues. However, this overcast summer is so beautiful in its deep blue shades of cobalt blue, indigo blue and “Yves Klein” blue. It is in this primary color that we allow ourselves to fly and swim, fly into a blue sky and swim into the deep blue.

I developed my career through many sleepless nights, an abundant amount of hard work and an ample amount of art production. I create around 50+ artworks per year. Also, early education had set me on the right path. Years of Discipline, work ethics and work regiment got me to where I am at today.