Description:
Oil and Cold Wax
Artist:
Nancy Arko
Price:
$1,100
Dimensions:
30" x 36"
“I am a member of Waterstone Gallery in Portland Oregon. As a gallery member, I participate in group-shows, which are held most years, and have had a solo show there every couple of years. For much of this time I have been exploring my interest in sound, music and natural sounds found in nature through my artwork.
“Some of my earliest work was in monoprint where I worked in a subtractive manner removing ink that left small gestural marks. This was followed by a number of years in which I worked with soft pastels where I switched to making painting made with positive, gestural marks. Continuing my love of painting in this manner, I then turned to oils, which allowed me to add impasto to my work. In oil, and also in acrylic, I paint with palette knives most often, rather than brushes, and favor medium and large size canvases or smaller wooden panels for my work.
“The subject matter of my most recent shows, including my March 2010 show at Waterstone Gallery, continues to be my exploration of sounds, music and natural sounds although I do enjoy painting a variety of subject, whether representational or completely abstract, figurative or landscapes.
“I live with my husband in Portland, Oregon, on a steep hill. We are surrounded with ferns, brambles, wild flowers and native and not-so-native trees filled with birds. We have glimpses of the city, Mt St Helens, and a bit of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. Without any flat land around me suitable for planting in long rows, the gardener in me has led me to years of container gardening. When I ask ‘what type of garden nurtures and inspires me’, I immediately think of my own small gardens on our deck with their pots of flowers, vegetables, berries and small trees. Those thoughts always inspire me.”