The subject is often a vehicle for the metaphorical expression of an idea or thought in a visual poem. Her use of curvilinear compositions and the suggested motion of the bird or animal subjects give life and freedom to her images. Through repetition of the flowing lines she creates a sense of harmony, and balances this movement with areas of quiet space. Although much of the emotional power the artist is able to convey comes from dynamic composition, the predominant power effected by her treatment of the subject matter is one of gentleness and peace.About the artistNancy Howe is a self-taught artist who began developing her art seriously in 1988 from her rural studio in Vermont. Her paintings in oils exhibit a refined quality of realism and a quiet presence that emphasize light and strong design. They span the range of subject matter from animals and birds, to landscape, still life, and figures. In 2007, Howe created a fundraising project, “Painting a Brighter Future for Kenyan Women”, in partnership with The Boma Project. The project is a series of original oil paintings of the native pastoral nomadic people of northern Kenya, and fine art giclee prints from these images, the sale of which benefits women in these communities. Through the Boma Project’s Rural Entrepreneur Access Program, the project donations provide grant money, business skills training, and mentoring to small groups of women to help them establish their own enterprises, generate income, and become self-reliant. Howe made history in 1990 by being selected as the first woman artist in the history of the U.S. Department of Interior’s Federal Duck Stamp Program that was established in 1934, and her artwork became the design for the 1991-2 Federal Duck Stamp. She is a signature member of the Society of Animal Artists and a signature member of Oil Painters of America. Her paintings have become part of several museum permanent collections and been the recipient of numerous national exhibition awards. She has been a contributing artist in several art publications, most recently in the 2001 Wildlife Art: Sixty Contemporary Masters and Their Work. In 2003 she was the recipient the grand prize, the American National Award of Excellence, from the twelfth annual exhibition of the Oil Painters of America. She has had work juried into the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s bird and wildlife exhibitions since 1990, and in 2005 was honored as Birds in Art Master Wildlife Artist. The artist also received the International Masters Award and Patron’s Choice Award at the 2001 International Masters of Fine Art Invitational in San Antonio, Texas. As an invited artist, Howe exhibited in the “Artists of America” show at the Colorado History Museum In Denver, CO and the “Great America Artists Exhibition” in Cincinnati Ohio. |