Painting with acrylics with leaf impressions in thick matt medium. It has a bit of an encaustic look to me. The original leaves were extremely difficult to lift off. Oak leaves provide a better product. As usual, it’s texture, texture, texture. I’m not sure it’s finished, but it’s done for now! –Nancy
About
I’ve spent much of my working career applying digital media and visual arts to practical problems—as graphic designer for paying clients and as pro bono designer for children’s advocacy and church organizations. The biggest hurdle has been in creating art I do for myself. A BFA fueled my working career. My experiences as a foster parent and as a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) led me back to school and a PhDc in Child and Family Studies. I am a grandmother of seven, a musician (percussion/mallets), and a gardener endeavoring to return two acres of invasive species back to a native wildlife refuge.
My paintings are studies in art media. I am fascinated with leaves, sea shells, and other found natural objects. As stamps, masks, and appliqués, leaves find their way onto many of my paintings. No matter which medium I am working in at the moment, I enjoy exploring the relationships among visual art elements–such as, color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value. Especially texture. I find that glazes are a versatile way to incorporate the textures, shapes, and colors of found objects into a painting or collage. I work with acrylics as thin as a water color wash and as thick as modeling paste. Colors applied layer after, mixed–never straight from the tube–add complementary colors successively to yield complex color patterns. Brushed, yes, but also blotted, wiped, scrunched, and splattered.
Now that I have a studio with a sink, much like Lazarus rising from the dead, no more excuses not to create. Consequently, I am trying to resurrect my artistic confidence, take risks, and not worry about making “art”!
I N P R O G R E S S
