About the Artist
Sandi Croan is an independent artist from Centreville who has been living in Northern Virginia since 1978. Professionally, she has been a registered Physical Therapist, Director of Personnel and Administration at a Social Science Consulting Firm, and President and Co-founder of a personnel staffing agency.
Sandi has always looked at the world through the lens of a camera. She has been taking photographs for family, friends, and her own gallery since her first "Brownie" camera. Over the past 20 years, she has gotten much more serious about landscape, nature, travel, and portrait photography. She is constantly striving to capture that special moment in time as well as the beauty, wonderment, feelings and humanity that surrounds us.
Sandi has won numerous competitions and awards for her fine art photographs. She has been juried into many shows and exhibitions. She was a finalist with her image “Sossusvlei 427” in Outdoor Photographers 2021 Natures Colors Competition. She was recently awarded Best Landscape and People's Choice Award at the prestigious Nature Visions Photography Exposition and was honored with both Best of Show and Second place at the Meadowlark Nature Photography Expo. She has also won Versatile Photographer of the Year (Advanced), Photographer of the Year (Advanced Color Prints and Advanced Digital) and numerous Prints of the Year at Northern Virginia Photographic Society (NVPS), as well as many competition awards. Sandi was a featured artist in Elan Magazine, and her photograph "Blue Lagoon" was on the cover. She has also had photographs published in other local and national magazines.
In addition, she has been juried into the prestigious ArtSpace Herndon Fine Art Photography Competition, George W. Glennie International Digital Competition, Nature Visions Photography Expo, VisArts of Rockville, Fairfax County Council of the Arts Show (Unlocked), The Fraser Gallery International Photography Exhibition, Art At The Mill, Oatlands Plantation Art Show, Aldie Mill Art Show, and the Meadowlark Photography Expo. Sandi has sold many of her photographs to private, corporate and government clients, and does shows for businesses and other local events.
Sandi has recently/or is currently displaying her art at Inova Schar Cancer Center, Fair Oaks Hospital's Cancer Center, Broadway Gallery in Alexandria, VA, Trummers on Main Street Restaurant, Meadowlark Gardens, the Fairfax County Government Center, and many more.
Sandi has been an active member of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society (NVPS) since 2004 and has served in a variety of board positions. She served as President of NVPS for two terms from 2009-2011. She also is a speaker and serves as a judge for area photographic clubs, competitions and exhibitions.
Artist Statement
For some, poetry is the vehicle for capturing the wonder of nature and the poignant experience of life. For Sandi Croan, photography is her vehicle. Whether it is the bittersweet beauty of a fading sunset, the child-like awe of discovery of a hovering dragonfly, or the wistful pondering of a winding path to unexplored destinations - her photos capture not only objects and scenes, but the memories, feelings, and wonder that they evoke.
She once thought that her photographs were too personal to ever sell them, but the overwhelming response of guests and visitors to her private gallery convinced her otherwise. The photos are so clearly universal in their appeal to the human spirit that it would be a shame not to share them. Until 2004 they were displayed only in the homes of family and friends who received them as intimate gifts. Now they are available to anyone who finds in them the same sense of wonder, discovery and joy that thrilled the artist.