Vanessa Compton

Drawn to rural environments where landscapes are vast and people are few, Vanessa grew up in northern Vermont where her singer-songwriter father and artist mother inspired her to create from an early age. She devoted her school years to theater, sculpture, cello and world music. Vanessa has lived in Dakar, Senegal studying the kora and its influence on hip hop music, and Kumasi, Ghana learning palm wine guitar with living master Koo Nimo.

After falling in love with rock climbing, she moved to Colorado and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from CU-Boulder. Her collages have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the US and appear in private collections around the world. She has been awarded fellowships from The Brinton Museum, Wallace Stegner House, Vermont Studio Center, Hubbell Trading Post & National Historic Site, The Brush Creek Foundation, and Jentel Arts.

For many years Vanessa maintained a life of migration, creating art throughout the American West. She lives in Burlington, VT with her family. To visit Vanessa’s website click here.