Gallery opening Saturday in New London

ALVA Gallery
54 State St., New London, (860) 437-8664
Nancy Friese: New Works from Nature
June 22—July 28, 2007.
Opening reception and artist gallery talk: Sat., June 30, 5:30—7:30 p.m.

Press release

Artist Nancy Friese herself speaks most eloquently about her work and the impact nature has had on her subject matter and method.

"Landscape painting is a composite of things seen, remembered and felt. By studying nature's phenomena, I tie visual observations to experience. With unpeopled views, scenes and vistas, one can enter a more philosophical, personal and timeless place. I grew up looking outward from the cliffs of the great lakes and the prairies of the northern plains. Treetops bays, rivers, forests, shorelines, rocks, fields, and the human landscape edging these places fed my imagination. I remain in that world through the paintings and prints of nature close-at-hand."

Friese's richly textured, vibrantly colored canvases vividly convey that statement from the heart and soul of an artist. Ranging in size from small (15" x 28") works, to large (72" x 84") works, Nancy Friese brings the joy, accuracy and immediacy of plein air painting to the eyes of the viewer. Works depict forests, ponds, lakes and paths through the natural environment that the artist is so clearly enamoured of. This exhibition takes landscape depiction to a level that is unusually beautiful.