to put something down that feels like what I’m looking
at, because the light is moving and circumstances are
changing fast. I paint more what I feel than what I see.”
This approach is part of what makes Spring Rain,
which Nagel sold to a private collector in Santa Fe, so
memorable for Hosner. “This is one of those paintings
that grabs onto a person’s feelings and won’t let go,”
the juror says. “Ten years from now, we’ll remember
the feeling of serenitywe receive from it, like walking
in the rain.” PJStefanie Laufersweiler, a writer and editor in Cincinnati, is a regular
contributor to Pastel Journal.Nagel counts painters Doug Dawson, Lorenzo Chavez
and Dennis Rhoades among his primary mentors, and
he’s also inspired by Russian Impressionists and landscape
artists such as James E. Reynolds and George Inness.
“Inness’ paintings grab me emotionally,” Nagel says.
“They’re very ethereal.”
Painting the Feelings
Plein air painting suits Nagel because being outdoors is
where he’s at his most creative. “I think I’ve been doing
it so long that it’s helped me develop my style,” he says.
“When I’m out there, I can’t detail everything. I just have
Norbert Nagel is
an award-winning
plein air artist living in
Denver, Colo., who has
taught art at Jefferson
County Public Schools
and currently for the
City of Lakewood.
A Vietnam veteran
and a horticulturist
for the city of Denver
for 48 years, Nagel
studied art at the Art
Students League of
Denver and has served
as co-president of
the Pastel Society of
Colorado. He shows his
work at Mary Williams
Fine Arts, in Boulder,
and in exhibitions and
plein air events. “When
you’re out there seeing
all of the beauty that
I see, ‘perfect’ isn’t even
the right word,” Nagel
says. “Painting helps
me escape reality
and connect to all
of that beauty.”Building Cumulus (12x9)ArtistsNetwork.com 43