Vineyard Light brings together amazing talents passionate about seizing the moving light expressing the ephemeral quality of a moment. Artists Nancy E Becker, Ian Roberts, Anne Ward and Beverly Wilson provide the viewer with beautiful representations of the here and now and speak of life lived in bursts of brief but unforgettable encounters.
Exhibition Special Events
Art After Dark Paso Opening Reception
Saturday, November 7: 6 pm - 9 pm
About Nancy E Becker
Artistic expression has always been a part of Nancy E Becker’s life. The stage was set from a young age as she explored the Angeles National Forest on horseback, discovering rugged vistas, spectrums of color, and patterns of light and shadow. Nancy drew to record, remember and understand what she was seeing. “Drawing became part of my life through the excitement of discovery, and to recreate that sensation of roaming nature’s living sanctuary with my horse as sort of a spiritual guide.”
Nancy’s formal education includes a B.A. in Art from the University of Colorado, and a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from California College of the Arts in Oakland, California. Studies with respected living artists have been vitally important for her continued artistic development. Workshop studies include those given by wildlife artist Bob Kuhn (deceased ‘07), and landscape painters Clyde Aspevig, Skip Whitcomb, Scott Christensen, Michael Workman, Nancy Bush, T Allen Lawson, and private study with Len Chmiel.
Beyond most things, the enjoyment of nature and horses have been lifelong pursuits for Nancy. She combines her love of the outdoors with her artistic muse. She finds inspiration in mountain, desert and coastal vistas, especially places that remain unscarred by modern day development. The effects of light that set a mood upon the natural world are Nancy’s favorite subjects. It is a sense of peaceful intrigue that Nancy portrays well.
“As an artist, I am concerned with personal expression and developing that which is unique about my vision. I work to create an expressive landscape painting in which I am able to convey to the viewer the mood of a time and place I sense.”
About Ian Roberts
Ian Roberts’s father was a painter and Ian accompanied him on painting trips from the time he was ten. He attended the New School of Art and the Ontario College of Art, both in Toronto, and studied figure painting in Florence, Italy.
He teaches plein air painting in Provence, France each year through his school Atelier Saint-Luc, named after the patron saint of painters. Ian shows in the U.S. and Canada, is an artist member of the California Art Club and a signature member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. His book Mastering Composition has sold over 35,000 copies. Currently he is writing a book on the search for beauty. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the painter Anne Ward.
Visit ianroberts.com to see paintings, books and videos by the artist.
About Anne Ward
Anne Ward is dedicated to painting with the intention of capturing quiet spaces and the light that envelopes them. She decided to pursue painting after working for writer/director Lawrence Kasdan on several films. It was while living in France that Anne discovered the thrill of painting outdoors with an easel and returned home fully devoted to the pursuit of painting. Though primarily self taught, she has also studied with painter Joseph Mendez. Anne is an Artist Member of the California Art Club and the Oil Painters of America. Her paintings reside in many private collections. She lives and paints in Los Angeles with her husband author/painter Ian Roberts.
About Beverly Wilson
Beverly Wilson turns ordinary moments into the extraordinary. Her oil paintings are inspired by the subtle changes of the seasons, temperature and light. With bold compositions, unique strokes, and a personal collection of colors, she expresses the universal rhythms of rural life and her love of the countryside. The land itself and man’s place in it are favorite themes.
As a student of Richard Diebenkorn in the early 1970s, she was drawn to the qualities of the expressionists and colorists and her work began an evolution into a vibrant style of her own. After earning a BFA from UCLA, she spent a year in Italy selling her sketches as she traveled through the vineyard regions of Tuscany and Umbria. It was this love of the wine country and the tranquility of rural life that brought her to the Napa Valley in 1983. She lives and paints in the Napa Valley countryside and wherever travels may take her.
Collectors include Beringer Vineyards, The Napa Valley Museum, The Doctor’s Company, The Banff School of Fine Arts, Justin Vineyards, Robert Craig Winery, Lasgoity Vineyards, Meritage Resorts, Napa River Inn, Demptos Cooperage and U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson.
