Nancy Cohen

Throughout my life image making and an active imagination has provided me with a sacred space in which to learn about the world around me and myself. Drawing, painting, photography, music, poetry, and clay sculpting, have enabled me to discover and celebrate the meaning of “being alive” within the spiritual experience of communing with nature. When I paint a natural scene onsite or from a photograph of the landscape in my studio, I allow each painting to evolve, pushing the colors to a heightened state of vitality, in order to express the quality of light and mood of the scene. The layering of oil pastel colors creates depth, texture, and dimension. Oil pastel pencils are used for small details as well as a carving tool to pull colors to the surface from a deeper layer. Occasionally, I will use water to soften the perspective and create more translucent effects in water and air. An ephemeral quality is infused into each painting, moving the viewer into a landscape of meditative timelessness. It is my hope that my paintings will inspire and connect the viewer with the wonder and beauty of nature, thereby seeding the desire to preserve and protect our natural world from unnecessary destruction and violation. Nancy Friedman-Cohen. Somerset, New Jersey.