Nancy Grabowski
Do what you love, LOVE what you do! I could not agree more! An outdoors enthusiast, much of my time is spent hiking, skiing, painting, and relaxing. I find New Mexico, and especially the Taos area to be quite inspiring. I am primarily an acrylic painter and choose landscape and abstract as my focus. This summer I started Plein Air painting again after almost 10 years. It feels wonderful to connect to the land in so many ways!
I grew up on the east coast, and I discovered New Mexico on a road trip with a friend in 1992. Everything about it lured me in, and I relocated to the Santa Fe Area a few years later. At the time, I was a metal-smith and occasional painter. My jewelry work was in galleries in New Mexico, Colorado, and California.
For several years, while I was working at the Santa Fe Community College, I earned my AA in Fine Arts; Studio. By that time, I was no longer making jewelry because of space and other constraints, and I had turned my focus back to painting. In 2014 I accepted a position at the Taos Ski Valley and I relocated to Taos.
Since moving to Taos, I have been inspired by all the art and artists here and the landscapes around me. When asking a friend how to be a successful artist, he told me, "Paint every day!" As I paint more, try new mediums, and experiment, I am finding creative vision everywhere. My landscapes are painted from places I live, visit, or paint on-sight. On occasion, I may use a fantastic reference from a friend. Feeling connected to what I am painting is essential to me.
My abstracts, however, are stimulated by my dreams and meditations. I've studied dreams, and I try to remember and interpret them, writing my dreams in a journal upon waking. When I feel one is significant, I will sketch it to recall it better and for a possible future painting. I've also done spontaneous painting in meditative states. These paintings are not planned, and I have no idea myself what they will be until they are done. In these moments, I am connected in a flow state to a much deeper consciousness.
Currently I am a member of The Taos Abstract Artist Society, Taos Watercolor Society, Taos Plein Air Painting Group, Tajmagundi Drawing Group, and Plein Air Painters of New Mexico. I exhibit my paintings at the Taos Artist Collective in Taos, NM.
Contact
Instagram: NancyGrabowski6
