• Although he trained as a sculptor in Romania, coming to the US as a political refugee in 1982 created some new issues for Viorel: learning English, earning a living, assisting family back home.

• After spending 20 years in Connecticut, he moved to New Orleans in December 2002 to return to art making, creating large sculptures of clay, (later casting them in plaster or concrete), marble and wood.

• In 2006 he began to create illuminated sculptures of wood and paper. Some of these were sold in interior design shops, and some were commissioned for specific commercial and residential settings. With an intention of moving from the fine craft of making unusual functional light sculptures toward the creation of sculptural art, his latest work in shows at Coup d'oeil Art Consortium and the Gallery at the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center incorporated a variety of classical figurative themes, many inspired by his travel in Italy. He has been equally interested in pure abstraction and has been creating abstract pieces which are solely about space, color, and light.

• In September 2008 Viorel attended a bronze casting workshop at Louisiana Artworks with an intention of returning to his earlier sculptural processes. He is currently exploring more dense and solid mediums specifically for large outdoor sculptures. And relative to such, he is researching the use of solar panels as a "green" alternative light source for his outdoor sculptures.

1977-1980
Studied with Emil Vitroel, well-known Romanian sculptor at the Scoala Populara de Arta (School of Fine Arts) Arad, Romania.

2002-2006
Studied figure drawing at New Orleans Academy, UNO, private studio sessions with model.

2008
Bronze casting workshop, Louisiana Artworks.

Experience:

1981-1982
Escaped from Communist Romania, and came to US as a political refugee.

1982-2002
Worked as a floral designer.

1996-2002
Owned and operated flower shop (Avon Flowers).

2002
Moved to New Orleans and began making art again, while working as a floral designer.

2005
Began to sculpt with clay, casting 5 large scale bas reliefs in plaster. Began to make wood sculptures.

2006
Began to make light sculptures.

2007
Work accepted at Perch Interior Design 2844 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70115. Perch has exclusive representation of my work at interior design shops in New Orleans.

2008
March - Commissioned to create a 9' x 7' wall sculpture for a commercial interior in Lexington KY.

2008 May
Commissioned by Stephen Lineweaver for the film Mardi Gras to create a fourteen-foot tall light sculpture for a set.

2010
Created a large sculpture (a wood and metal mesh construction 8' in diameter) for the Warner Brother's film Green Lantern.

Exhibition:

2003-2004
Work shown at Space Gallery, Magazine Street.

2008
Affiliated with Rhino Gallery for six months, New Orleans.

2008 October
One-person show, Perch Interior Design, Art for Arts' Sake.

2009 February
Completed and installed a 16' x 16' light sculpture in the entrance of the Studio at Colton, based on Katrina shape - Now installed at Ecole Bilingue in New Orleans.

2009 July
Group show, Coup d'eoil Art Consortium, New Orleans.

2010 March
Two person show, Coup d'eoil Art Consortium, New Orleans.

20l0 June-August
One person show, Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center, Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

Awards:

2008
Awarded studio space at Studio at Colton, an art space run by the Creative Alliance of New Orleans. Worked there from October 2008 - July 2009.

2009
Selected by New Orleans Museum of Art as one of 10 honorees for their "Love in the Garden" event showcasing artists who have made signigicant contributions to the visual arts in New Orleans.

2010
• Honored by WYES TV, New Orleans, as one of four top artists in their    annual art auction.
• Selected by Louisiana Artworks as a 2010-2011 Artist in Residence.