Art & Life with Nancy Colella

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Colella.

Nancy, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’ve been intrigued with making art since I was a child, s a child and I’ve been doing some form of it ever since. In the late 60’s, I was discouraged from going to an “art school”, so I graduated with a BA in Fine Art from a small liberal arts college in Ohio. I then studied painting at the Aegean School of Fine Arts in Paros, Greece and at the Instituto Allende in San Miquel Mexico.

Years later, after putting “art” on the back burner and enjoying a career in the hospitality business, I resumed my studies at Mass College of Art and through weekly classes with local artist John Kilroy. I took numerous workshops around the country with many plein air painters; Peggi Kroll Roberts, Kevin MacPherson, and Ken Auster to name a few. I began teaching workshops and classes at the South Shore Art Center and North River Arts, in Marshfield, MA and soon became a full time artist/instructor.

In 2016, I was awarded the Copley Society / Cape Ann Museum Artist Residency in Gloucester, MA for the month of September and that was the beginning of a new and different journey. I was determined to “shake things up” after becoming interested in the Abstract Expressionist movement. Having a month to study, experiment and discover without interruption was life changing. I began to grow as an artist and became newly inspired by contemporary painters Melinda Cootsona, Mark Daniel Nelson, Catherine Kehoe, and Nancy Gruskin.

I am a member of the National Association of Woman Artists, an Artist Member of the Copley Society of Art in Boston, MA and the North Shore Art Association in Gloucester, MA. and teach numerous workshops throughout New England. I live and work in Norwell, Ma with my husband and 6 year old yellow lab Limoncello

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Until recently my paintings have been primarily representational, using value (light and shadow) to depict a specific moment in time. Having been influenced by many plein air and alla prima painters, I worked quickly with thick paint and large brushes, making my approach very intuitive and spontaneous. For years, I taught a popular class called “The One Hour Painting” that was designed to help painters loosen up.

Lately, my taste in the visual arts has moved toward a more modern and contemporary look and my own work is reflecting that. As my journey continues, I find myself focusing more on the relationships of shape, color and line than on the actual subject. My goal is to break a subject down to those basic elements and arrange them in a way that says just enough to get the viewer engaged, allowing them to then interpret the rest. Connecting with the viewer in a non-verbal way is an ongoing effort and one that I find consistently intriguing.

I enjoy exploring and experimenting with new materials, techniques, and approaches as I find each discovery an exciting step toward the next one. While I am slowing down, using thinner paint in layers, and working on many paintings at a time, my goal is to become less literal and more expressive and bold in my approach.

Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
I think in general, life has become easier for artists in recent years. The internet has obviously changed things dramatically for artists. Being able to “show” our work to such a large audience, and exchanging ideas with other artists is invaluable. I am currently taking a year long, on-line painting class with an artist in Denver (with 45 other artists from around the world) that has exposed me to ideas and approaches, not readily available to me before.

Also, the larger population is getting exposure to “art” more consistently and therefore they understand it better.

Having museums and galleries more accessible to the masses is essential, and I think Boston offers many opportunities to artists and non-artists alike. Affordable housing and work spaces for artists are becoming more available. As always, we need more funding for art education in our schools.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I currently show my work at the Cove Gallery in Wellfleet, MA, The Copley Society on Newbury Street, Solace Studio and Gallery in Long Beach Island, New Jersey and Charles Fine Art Gallery in Gloucester, MA. Visitors are always welcome at my studio in Norwell, MA.

My ongoing weekly blog called “Simply Painting” chronicles my artistic journey and offers many insights in to my process. http://nancycolellasimplypainting.blogspot.com

Contact Info:

• Address: PO BOX 508
  Norwell, MA 02061
• Website: www.nancycolellastudio.com
• Phone: 781-706-4730
• Email: saltydogstudio@comcast.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saltydogstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saltydogstudio

Image Credit:
Lto R: “From Above”12 x 12 oil, “The Candy Store” 8 x8 oil, “Magic Hour” 20 x 20 oil, “Out of the Sun” 24 x 24 oil, “Surf Casters” 16 x 20, “Ironing Hankies” 20 x 16

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