Nancy L. Herbst Gallery

ARTIST STATEMENT

"There are a number of reasons why watercolor is my favorite painting medium, but the most important is that I love the actual process, plain and simple.

I strive to work from a place that’s somewhere between controlling too much, or too little, in search of those “happy accident” moments, when the paint and water do things on their own, to the delight of any artist.

Being in control when working with watercolor is also important, and it can take a lifetime to master certain techniques. Improving my ability to get the results I want will always be my goal, and seeing improvement is always extremely satisfying.

For the past two years, I’ve been enjoying painting with fluid acrylics on canvas or panels, in addition to watercolors on paper. Many of my watercolors can take weeks or months to complete, and I have found that the perfect way to refresh my creative enthusiasm is to balance this slow process with the messy and delightfully fun technique of fluid painting.

I like to think of it this way: Some of my recent watercolor paintings can be likened to a rehearsed musical performance, while my fluid art is more like jamming.

I expect that soon, I’ll be trying to combine what I love about each approach whenever I paint in any medium." ~ Nancy L. Herbst