Biography

Arianne Vota Smeets was born and raised along historic Route 66 in the small farming community of Elwood, Illinois, in 1978. Vota Smeets earned a B.S. in Education from Illinois State University in 1999. Following graduation, she moved to Orange County, California, where she taught for three years before returning home. For another four years, she dedicated herself to being an enthusiastic, caring and inspirational educator. During her seven years in the teaching profession, she designed and led numerous recognized educational initiatives, which culminated in being the student elected recipient of the Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Local Teacher of the Year 2007 Award.

Although primarily self-taught, Vota Smeets did study oil painting at the University of California Los Angeles during the summer prior to her graduation. She then began experimenting with sculpture in 2005 through a small-scale collection of pieces showcased in shadow boxes. Once completed, Vota Smeets began conceiving work that did not confine her heart to a box.

After making several life changes in 2007, involving her health, career, marriage, and residence, Arianne began further developing her sculpting skills by working on large-scale, multi-dimensional pieces combining the use of clay and canvas. Her debut collection, Aorta Transformata, totals thirty-three plus pieces: twenty-four of which chronicle the heart through openness, life, death and transformation. The others stand on their own, telling individual stories.

Inspired in many directions, Vota Smeets created the collection while in culinary school at Kendall College in Chicago. In September 2008, Kendall sponsored her idea for a multisensory event combining food and art, which showcased her debut collection as well the fresh, culinary talent of her fellow students. In December of 2008, she earned her AAS in Culinary Arts. In the future, she intends to open a coffee house and wine bar called VOTA, where she will be able to continue pursuing her artistic career, via the kitchen and the canvas. Arianne is also an intuitive and a Level II Reiki Practitioner.

Currently, the artist resides in Chicago, creating art in her lakefront sanctuary. Arianne Vota Smeets hopes the healing heart movement will help the people of our world to better love themselves and each other.