ATASCADERO — The Atascadero Art Association will host oil painter Nancy Becker, as the demonstrator at its monthly meeting on Monday, April 9 at 7 p.m. at the Atascadero library. The meeting is free and open to the public.
Becker spent her formative years on horseback exploring the Angeles National Forest in Southern California and drawing. Later she attended University of Colorado, graduating with a degree in fine art. She moved to the Central Coast and taught school. Wanting art to be a larger part of her life, she left teaching to study at the College of the Arts in San Francisco, obtaining a degree in graphic design. She got her real estate license 20 years ago and continues to combine the two careers.
Becker loves the out of doors and has been an avid horsewoman all of her life. Her paintings reflect her connection to nature and her understanding of horses and animals. She calls the landscape her Muse, going to nature to revive her creative juices.
“The locations I choose to paint are quiet, rural landscapes,” Becker said of her paintings. “They are places where life’s rough edges seem somehow softened. Yet these places evoke a compelling mood for me. I paint in a tonal style, not really intentionally, but because the mystery created by that style of painting best reflects emotion. I challenge myself to keep the colors in a close range, thus imparting mood. The color, texture, and light are soft and harmonious, creating a dreamlike effect. I manipulate edges to lead the viewer around the painting.”
Becker’s work can be seen at Studios on the Park in Paso Robles and her influences include Maynard Dixon, being moved by his depiction of space, the Taos founders and early California impressionists.
For more information, call 462-0632 or go to www.atas caderoartassn.fix.net.
