June Artist of the Month: Nancy Davis Johnson

"Nancy has taken art courses at Cornell University and studied painting in several workshops. Since 1989, she has devoted her efforts to painting full-time. During her career, she has won awards for her work in oil and watercolor and has been juried into local, regional, and national and international shows. 

She has found the medium of watercolor provides her with a most satisfying and versatile way to express her love of the natural world. Much of the inspiration for her paintings comes from summer sailing trips along the coast of Maine, exploring this beautiful part of New England from an ocean-side perspective. 

She often works from photos, since sailing is usually not compatible with on-site painting. They are used as reference material to re-create the emotional impact of a scene. The process of looking through the lens at the landscape allows her to search out a center of interest more easily and record details that might otherwise be overlooked. Sometimes elements from three or four photos are used in the composition for maximum effect. She may change the light, weather or anything else that helps to tell her story. 

"The greatest challenge to me as an artist is to communicate my reasons for creating a painting, to convey to the observer the essence of a scene and the emotion it inspired in me. When I can accomplish that, I know the painting is a success"

For more information, please visit her website: http://www.nancydavisjohnson.com/index.html