Veronica J Ceci

Artist Statement

     More than half of Veronica's life has been spent printing, starting with a commercial offset apprenticeship program in high school. After one too many times being reprimanded by traditionalists for creative use of commercial applications, she veered towards the fine arts in college. In 1999 Veronica graduated with a BFA in Printmaking from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, being the first in her family to spend that much money on college without becoming a doctor. The call of the west brought her to New Mexico, where she completed the Tamarind Institute Professional Lithographer program in 2002. She was pulled away from the land of enchantment by an artist's residency at the Scoula Internazionale Di Grafica in Venice, Italy. After spending all her time drawing in church and all her money on green shoes, prosecco and Fabriano paper she returned to the United States. Veronica tried many American cities on for size. Nashville highlighted her complete lack of musical talent, a stint as a New Orleans street performer only garnered enough cash for a tank of gas, and a masterful appearance in Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill as "Zombie in Window" in Hollywood was completely overlooked by the Academy when Oscar time came around.

      In 2004 Veronica came to Austin on a hunch and found it a beacon for paper arts. She became Flatbed Press' Master Lithographer and joined WPA ASAP. During her time in Austin Ceci exhibited extensively throughout the United States and abroad, including The International Print Center New York's best new work of 2010.  At Flatbed she was privileged to collaborate with artists such as Dan Rizzie, Luis Jimenez, Sarah Canright, Sterling Allen, Suzi Davidoff and many more.

     Even Austin's excellent brisket and live music couldn't hold her forever.   A lust for the mariner's life brought her briefly to Sarasota, Florida where she smelled like a sailor and  worked as a picture framer at the Soicher-Marin Gallery.  The entire summer of 2011 was spent in residence in Murano, Venezia, Italia at Venice Printmaking making large scale monotypes of tourists ignoring their surroundings in favor of their smartphones. Spring of 2012 was spent as Artist in Residence at the Experimental Printmaking Institute at Lafayette College in Easton PA and she was featured in a three person show there called the Room of Relief in 2013.   Currently Ceci is pursuing her MFA while teaching Lithography at Kent State University.