Nancy Davidson is a contemporary American painter living and working in Santa Barbara, California.
“I was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California…a virtual paradise for any artist. Inspired by the abundant natural beauty surrounding me, my oil paintings combine realism with vibrant color, strong design and a contemporary flair.”
California artist Nancy Davidson says she can describe what inspires her in just one word: LIGHT. “It can transform even the most mundane scene into something magical and evocative”, she says. “The potential for beauty is all around us; we just need to recognize it when it appears.”
A self-described nature lover, who is surrounded by the spectacular scenery of Southern California, Davidson says that, “beyond an appreciation of natural beauty, I try to convey a sense of timelessness and wonder. When I am at the beach, watching the waves roll in just as they have since time immemorial, I realize how ephemeral we are and how enduring nature is.”
When she was 7, Davidson’s grandparents gave her a set of oil paints in a little wooden box, and she continues to use oils today, although she has tried other media in the past. “I find nothing quite as satisfying as painting in oils,” she says. “I love their versatility, their richness and range of color, and their feeling of permanence. And, by the way, I still have that little wooden paint box. The tubes of paint may be hard as rocks, but the memories are still there.”
Davidson went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree in studio art from the University of California at Santa Barbara and today often paints outside, sketching on location and finishing the painting in her studio. “The main advantage in painting outside is developing an eye for a broad range of values and subtlety of color,” she says. “For me, it is harder to focus on the painting process, when there are the distractions of wind, ever-changing lighting conditions, and curious bystanders.” Conversations, she adds, can break her concentration mode but, because she enjoys people and likes to share her enthusiasm for what she does, she is tempted to chat instead of seriously paint and, although she knows artists who can carry on a conversation as they work, “I am not one of them.”
Davidson’s favorite landscape scenes are those with a strong, horizontal orientation,” she says. “I think that is partly why I am so drawn to coastal scenes. I love conveying a sense of distance and space, a world the viewer can enter and explore without limits. The horizon line of the ocean implies that sense of infinity and freedom to roam. My favorite time to paint is late afternoon in the fall and winter. This is when the elongated shadows best reveal form, and the sun casts a golden spell over everything it touches.”
When it comes to defining the elements of a good landscape painting, Davidson says they are the same as any other good painting and include color, tone, line, space, texture, and composition. “Each of these elements need to be as varied as possible and yet still unified into a balanced image,” she says. “My personal litmus test is how well a painting reads from various distances. It should catch your attention from across the room, from halfway across the room, and from six inches away. At each level there should be something new to engage the viewer. For this reason, I never sit when I paint. I am constantly moving back and forth to view my work at different distances. I want to make sure the viewer is rewarded with something of interest at each encounter.”