Artists Magazine - USA (2019-10)

(Antfer) #1
ArtistsNetwork.com 83

Swift


&


Sure


Noted for her cityscapes,


Nancie King Mertz works quickly


whether she’s on site or in the


studio—but she always captures


the essence of the scene.


interview by Kelly Powers

In her travels to nearly 20 countries, Nancie King Mertz
has found abundant inspiration for her urbanscapes, but
her hometown of Chicago remains her favorite city to
paint and explore. It’s also the city that has twice named
her Artist of the Year. Mertz, who teaches painting in
workshops across the country and in the video Nancie King
Mertz: Urban Pastel Painting (Liliedahl), discusses her work
in the following interview:

Kelly Powers (KP):^ You paint both en plein air and in the
studio. Does your planning differ for these two approaches?
Nancie King Mertz (NKM): While the process for the two
approaches is similar, the prepainting thinking is different.
With a studio painting, I’m working from a 4x6 photo ref-
erence that’s often of poor quality but has an element that
inspires me—such as an unusual angle, compelling shadow
shapes or an interesting composition. I’ll look at that photo
many times to let it “cook” in my brain before I begin painting.

Come From Away (pastel on mounted board, 24½ x28½ )

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