The Artist’s Magazine – October 2019

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 )