Vanessa Lemen is an artist based in Southern California 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, story and connection. 

Her work has been published in the Illustrated Limited Edition books “The Left Hand Of Darkness” and “A Scanner Darkly”, as well as Spectrum, Infected By Art, ImagineFX, American Art Collector, and others. Vanessa also writes monthly columns for Muddy Colors, and is an educator who mentors privately, teaches classes online, and instructs at workshops across the US, with her work earning The Chesley Award and other awards in Infected By Art, Art Renewal Center’s ARC Salon, and a Spectrum Award nomination.

Described through metaphorical imagery, it’s her love of nature combined with excerpts from her personal journey and reflection that she credits most as the inspiration for her work. The search for connection mixed with her openness to growth and learning is integral to her spontaneous process, and this deeper exploration has been the impetus of infinite discovery and development in her work and life experiences. Through process and the making of her images, she is continuously revealing the ever-evolving balance of the deep-seated familiar and the vast unknown.