Categories Landscape
DescriptionNancy Alimansky
Watercolor is my primary medium. I also paint in oil and more recently I have been experimenting with mixed media.
When I started painting I was attracted by the subtleties, clarity ad freshness that characterize a successful watercolor. Although watercolor can be an unforgiving medium I find it to be challenging and rewarding. My preference is to work outside “en plein air” rather than in the studio. Being on location increases my creative juices and helps me to maintain a spontaneous approach to the painting.
Even though I am a representational painter I am not interested in merely recreating a landscape or street scene. I try to capture the essence of a place and convey the emotion I feel from the scene. What attracts me to a particular subject is very often the relationship of light and shadow or the arrangement of shapes. Because I work so much outside, light is what pulls me toward a particular scene. Often I choose to paint scenes that include architecture. The shapes which buildings create against the sky or in relation to one another fascinate me.
As artists, we often are drawn to subjects which have a strong emotional appeal. For me, it is the New England coast, which I associate with my childhood. My parents and I spent many summers at the shore and I always feel at peace when I am painting in that environment. I try to communicate that serenity and beauty in my work. I want the viewer to be able to identify with a scene and to share the excitement I feel about the subject matter.
website: www.alimanskygallery.com