Victoria Harper
Soft Pastel Paintings
Artist Reception: Saturday, March 21 5:30 - 7:30 pm
On Display: March - April 2026
This show is available during business hours (Tuesday – Friday from 10 am – 5 pm) or on weekends by advance appointment only.
Artist Statement
“My artistic process for this exhibit explores the quiet, transformative moments found within the natural landscape. By using expressive color and bold marks, I move beyond literal representation to capture the emotional essence of place. Saturated colors and golden light suggests a time when the familiar becomes slightly otherworldly. Trees serve as both structure and symbol, anchoring the composition while inviting the viewer inward. My approach allows color, texture, and movement to guide the narrative, encouraging viewers to slow down and experience the landscape not as it appears, but as it feels.”
Artist Biography
Victoria Harper is a Nebraska-based artist whose vibrant pastel works explore the beauty of light, color, and texture. With a career that spans both commercial and fine art, Harper’s creative journey began in central Nebraska and was shaped by a BFA in Studio Art with an emphasis in watercolor, alongside a BA in K–12 Art Education from Kearney State College.
After early work as a commercial artist, Harper spent three decades in the financial services industry, designing marketing and advertising materials that subtly kept her artistic instincts alive. Now retired, she has returned to her first love—painting—with renewed focus, working primarily in soft pastels, a medium she finds endlessly expressive for its vivid color and rich, tactile surface.
Influenced by the Impressionist masters, Harper’s work blends broken edges, expressive color, and implied detail, creating pieces that feel both familiar and emotionally resonant. Her evolving pastel style captures fleeting moments—whether landscapes, still lifes, or everyday scenes—with a sense of movement and luminosity.
Harper’s work has been featured in numerous juried exhibitions and gallery shows across Nebraska.
Today, Harper continues to explore the possibilities of pastel, pushing boundaries while staying grounded in a lifelong love of visual storytelling.
Awards & Gallery Exhibits
Kearney State College Kappa Pi Juried Student Show
1975 Accepted “Kitchen Basics” charcoal drawing 1976 Accepted “Harmon Park” watercolor
1977 Awarded Honorable Mention “Study #1” mixed media
1978 Awarded Best in Show “The Outsider” watercolor
2022-2023 Brickwalk Gallery artist, Kearney, NE
2022-2024 Studio10 Gallery artist, Grand Island, NE
2023 NAC Juried Show, Norfolk, NE - Accepted “Opening Day” soft pastel
2024 Women’s History Month Juried Show, Columbus, NE - Accepted “Purple Rocket Road” soft pastel
2024 Three Women Artists, Wildflower Gallery, Wood River, NE - selection of pastel paintings
2025 Kearney Artist Guild Member Show, Kearney, NE
Awarded Best of Show “Pumpkin Family” soft pastel on Pastelmat dark
2025 Association of Nebraska Art Clubs (ANAC) Annual Conference, North Platte, NE
Award of Excellence for “Pumpkin Family” soft pastel on Pastelmat dark ANAC Statewide traveling show
2025 - 2026 “Pumpkin Family” 2025 McCook Art Guild September Open Show, McCook, NE
Third Place Award for “Playa del Carmen” soft pastel on UArt 400 sand
2026 Gallery Wall Exhibit, Kearney Public Library, Kearney, NE - selection of pastel paintings
2026 Museum Of Nebraska Art, Kearney, NE Nebraska Now
Exhibit & Auction, “Spilt Tea” soft pastel on UArt 400 sand
