Featured Artist: Nancy Van Blaricom!

After I had long become an adult, I bought some pencils and a drawing book.  Going through the exercises in that book was the extent of my art education for a number of years.  Eventually I felt more capable and took a couple of watercolor classes.  Before I knew it I was winning local awards which boosted my confidence even more.

Many years later I was reading Winston Churchill’s small book Painting as a Pastime, and I felt myself being drawn to oil painting .  Churchill described oil painting with inspiring words that drew me in, “I write no words in disparagement of water-couloirs. But there really is nothing like oils, you have a medium at your disposal which offers real power, if you only find out how to use it”.  By then I couldn’t wait to try oil paints.

I started looking at oil paintings … really looking.  I could see the brushstroke that made a glass object look like the sun was hitting it.  I could see the dappled sunlight coming through the trees … scenes that were there in other mediums, but, not like I was seeing when looking at oil paintings.  I was hooked.  I couldn’t wait to give it a try.  Now I have discovered oils and I love them. Yummy, squishy oil paints. 

When it comes to art it sometimes seems that the years before oil painting have been wasted, but,  I can see that all of my creativity has culminated to this point. I’m grateful for what I’ve accomplished so far and excited to see where the future leads.