Visual Language Magazine Contemporary Fine Art Vol 2 No 4 April 2013

First Place - Nancy Medina
Juried Show Winter 2012
www.cfai.co/nancymedina
http://www.cfai.co/juried-shows-elegance-winter-2013/
When I think of elegance, I think of the simple line of a
flower, and the playful way those lines bend and move in
the breeze. I believe nature always has a hand in making
flowers feel real, and part of the authenticity and beauty
of nature is the fact that it is not static, it is not plastic.
This is why I always encourage my students to paint from
life. A real flower moves, it grows, it begins, and it ends.
All of those stages, from the buds to the brown edges of
the leaves are part of what makes a flower elegant to me.
I paint mostly from fresh flowers in the studio. Every
flower is unique, there are no two sunflowers that look
exactly alike, for example. Add to that all the different
ways light changes at different times of day, and you have
an infinite number of ways you can paint a single flower.
I began painting every day five years ago. I have not had
a creative block in quite some time that I can recall. The
only thing blocking me is the day to day chores of life that
have to be accomplished before I can rush to the studio,
and AnnieBee, my little four-footed helper who tosses her
ball at my leg every now and then when I've forgotten it's
break time....
I do not consider a particular painting to have overarching meaning to me as an artist, but there are certain
paintings that seem to mark turning points in my work. Every now and then I produce a work that seems beyond
my abilities for that timeframe in my growth. I’m not sure if I can attribute this to perseverance, intuition,
or simple good fortune. By painting every day, your relationship to the process begins to extend beyond mechanics
and becomes more intuitive. More and more with time I am influenced by the mood or the energy of a
color or the way light plays upon an object - shape and light become more important than the flower, vase, or
setup. When I become excited about a color or the way light strikes a petal or reflects onto a tabletop, I respond
to that muse right away.
The most challenging part of every painting for me is often the background. I am not a fan of using dark colors
to push subjects forward. I strive to tell a story with subtle changes between hues. My goal is to create an interplay
between temperatures, rather than a harsh backdrop that forces the eye to see your focal point.
On my easel right now - blue hydrangeas! I’m working on two paintings simultaneously. One for my monthly
giveaway on Facebook, and one for a client. Blue hydrangeas have been calling my name lately so I have to
respond!