ARTIST'S STATEMENT
ABOUT ME
My inspiration to create comes from a wide range of very diverse interests. I am constantly collecting books, articles, and objects to satisfy the curiosity of the moment. Often overwhelmed with ideas it is necessary for me to rein in my focus to one project at a time. My love of nature is always front and center and dictates the colors, and textures, and mood of most of my work. Whether it is the colors of a beautiful sunset, seeing a striking view while hiking in the mountains, or walking on the beach, or seeing the panorama of a stark desert landscape, these images inspire me to convey an atmospheric feeling to my work.
Travel and exposure to the diversity of other cultures fuels my interest in native and primitive art and craft. I am influenced by their use of abstract and expressive lines, colors and simplistic or complicated images that are used to convey a story or feeling. I love the order and composition of asian art and the romance of the renaissance painters. My passion for ecology and gardening leads me to study and capture the beauty of plants by creating botanical art and illustration. I am fascinated by the natural world and how we are influenced by our surroundings and a local climate or the colors and physical sensations of the seasons.
Painting is exciting and it is also often physically and mentally challenging whether I am working for hours on a detailed botanical illustration before the specimen wilts or drops its leaves and petals or loses its color, or when I am letting my emotions flow over a large canvas of abstract lines, shapes and color. When plein air painting I might be dodging the elements, whether it is the weather, insects, or wildlife, just to catch the perfect light and color of a beautiful scene. The act of creating also requires experimentation and continuing education of techniques, mastering new mediums, and keeping current on art trends and movements. I often spend weeks planning and researching, as well as shopping for materials and keeping up with the latest technical information about new products on the market.
In spite of the planning and thought processes that go into creating a piece, the act of letting go and allowing my emotions to dictate the direction of a work is what creates the most interesting results. The mistakes and accidents that happen are often the best parts of a piece. Letting all the thoughts and feelings in my subconscious dictate can be frightening and freeing at the same time keeping me in constant search of the next creative adventure.
Bio
My background
Nannette was born and raised in Denver, Colorado and is currently living on the coast of southeastern Florida. She received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Colorado State University with a concentration in interior design and ceramics. While always pursuing her interest in arts and crafts her career path led to the design and marketing of interior furnishings for the residential and contract markets.
During the late 1970's she worked for China Seas, a New York based textile manufacturer and importer specializing in batik and other ethnic textiles from Indonesia and China. She managed their showroom on 72nd street and oversaw their domestic textile design and manufacturing. Designing for the fashion and Interior furnishing markets Nannette designed a large, successful, "designer" bed sheet collection for Martex that was endorsed by Bloomingdales, and marketed across the US. She also designed fabrics for couture fashion designers including Mary McFadden, Bill and Hazel Hare, and Donna Karen (when she was at Ann Klein).
In 2011 Nannette completed certified studies in Botanical Illustration from the Denver Botanical Gardens and is a member of the American Society of Botanical artists and the Florida chapter. Other organizations include LAPA, Laguna Plein Air Painters, and Vero Beach Art Club, and Vero Beach Art Club Plein Air Painters. She is currently painting full time continuing to network and study with well known artists in the field.
Her paintings are in various private collections.