Virginia Snowdon

Virginia Snowdon is a mixed-media artist who lives in Sydenham, Ontario. “Our surface view of life is edited. I lean into the unrefined, feeling an urgency to look beneath, to not be satisfied with the polished view. There is often something found behind or underneath that exposes a subtle truth. There is no room for timidness. Bold, decisive art arrived–just like me.” —Virginia Snowdon

A group of businesspeople in suits gathered around a laptop at a conference table, discussing and pointing at the screen.
Abstract expressionist painting with a mix of colors including orange, black, gray, beige, and hints of red and green. The artwork features loose, energetic brushstrokes and scribbles with no clear subject or figures.

Abstract Paintings

Abstract painting with bold and muted colors, including red, orange, yellow, black, green, and gray, featuring loose brushstrokes and overlapping shapes.

Mythologies Paintings

A collage of vintage handwritten letters, notes, and a black and white photo of a young man with short hair, with some text and labels such as 'My darling Molly' and 'Drowned by censor' overlaying the images.

WWI Collages

An abstract artwork featuring colorful squares and rectangles with hand-drawn symbols, lines, and sketches, interconnected by dotted lines on a white background.

Cartography Paintings

Abstract art piece with white, black, orange, and yellow paint splashes, lines, and shapes on a gray background.

Road Home Journal Paintings

  • Extensive travel, frequent moves, and multiple school changes through her formative years, caused Ginny Snowdon to view her world as an outsider looking in. Born in Windsor, Ontario, Snowdon started travelling at age 5 when her parents moved the family to Zimbabwe, Africa. Later, while attending Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Snowdon was in a serious car accident, impressing on her the fleeting sense of our lives, and contributing to a heightened view of life’s pivotal moments. She persevered and graduated with her class earning bachelor’s degrees in sociology and psychology and later a master’s degree in social work at the University of Toronto, fields of study that continue to inform her art. In 2015 she had her first solo show and has exhibited ever since. Her tendency towards introspection has led her to intensely study the interconnectedness of her life and art. “Our surface view of life is edited. I lean into the unrefined, feeling an urgency to look beneath, to not be satisfied with the polished view. There is often something found behind or underneath that exposes a subtle truth. There is no room for timidness. Bold, decisive art arrived – just like me.”

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  • Life is lived in little moments and often it’s the smallest ones, the quiet hum of the unflashy, that carry the most meaning and are the most deeply remembered. Beneath the curated surface of our lives is the unpolished, and raw, the parts that we may be reluctant to own are, in fact, common denominators. We all have ordinary moments, patterns, whispers, imperfections. This is what I paint. These seemingly unremarkable moments when examined, provide context, a rich backdrop, a narrative to our lives. Our universal stories anchor us, graft us together and bridge our differences, resonating with us because they reflect the narratives we tell ourselves. 

    My paintings are life compasses, maps and symbols revealing interior roads and guide posts. I uncover the stories that hide in the details of everyday life – what belongs, what’s missing and what holds everything together.

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  • Artist Fran Gardner has written a curatorial essay entitled “NEVER THE SAME PATH, BUT ALWAYS THE SAME PLACE: PAINTINGS BY GINNY SNOWDON” about Virginia Snowdon’s work and life.

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Virginia Snowdon is not yet represented by a gallery. For inquiries, please fill out this form.

Abstract painting with a mix of colors including yellow, gray, black, orange, green, and hints of white and red. The composition features loose brushstrokes and sketchy black lines, creating a dynamic and layered texture.