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MEMORIES, and current studio news
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PAINTINGS TO ILLUMINATE SCIENTIST’S BOOK: 'edging forward' We are just beginning to reconcile our impact on the planet. What are we doing forgetting about love? Sometimes writers write about our world, especially when the present reality is dire. They do it to enlighten a path they hope humanity will take. Then, there are artists who need to express a love for living things and an inspired vision of the eternal. Two disciplines interweaving to help heal the planet. Once again, Ann Dale and I are collaborating to bring love, art and science together with nature-based solutions for Canada's changing landscape. Nine life-size paintings I created for the Edging Forward Art Collection will illuminate and introduce each chapter with full-page plates in the second edition of the Edging Forward book by Ann Dale. The paintings were featured and exhibited for one month at the legacy Bateman Gallery of Nature seven years ago. So, I'm super thrilled to let you know that in the spring of 2025, the paintings with updated climate-change solutions will be available for purchase in one beautifully designed book by Friesen Press & Publishing. The nine life-size paintings for the Edging Forward Art Collection took me five years to make. Edging Forward’s central themes to reconcile, reconnect and regenerate a harmonious co-existence with Nature — offers innovative and nature-based solutions for urban communities to heal our Earth. Harmoniously co-existing with Nature is key to all future designs, processes and most importantly, our culture and way of thinking. A best-selling author and a recipient of many prestigious awards, Ann Dale is a highly distinguished social scientist who is nationally and internationally recognized for dedicating her life to research and understanding Canadian communities. She is one of Canada's top social scientists on climate change mitigation. Our changing climate and increasing storms is something many of us are very concerned about. Ann Dale has re-written the Edging Forward book for everyone to use; from the movers, shakers and learners to ultimately the people of Canada. The book cover is designed by Friesen Press. A special thank you to the publishing team who designed the cover using details from my "Fusing Love" painting with the swans in flight. Much light, -N, 2024 NEW COLLECTION, finding soft places
Painting is restoration. Introducing my new collection for those seeking to inspire the senses well beyond seeing. I consider myself primarily a west coast artist of atmospheric landscapes. I am at a turning point with my work heading down a path of softer yet more expressive paintings conveying the natural realm with the mystery of being. I traumatically lost my Mother before the pandemic broke out. And, like many families in the world, I lost several people I loved during the pandemic while caring for close friends through cancer. I needed to rest my heart. ISLAND ARTS MAGAZINE, painting published A lovely thank you to Island Arts Magazine for selecting and publishing my painting "Hill of Dreams" for the Mar-Apr 2023 spring edition. In the promise of an old apple tree's petals, the vibrance of change and transformation surround us. Their website can be found at: www.islandartsmag.ca. Have a magnificent spring. Hope you find an apple tree to enjoy nature's magic. Much Light, N, 2023
Welcome to another year. I promise you the titanium whites are going to flow in soaked expressions from florals to landscapes this year. Over the holidays I finished this painting, "The Blessed Bonsai", a wild bonsai I found in Saanich at the break of light after a heavy rain. A bumblebee was feeding from the pollen.
NEW FLORALS: the 'sweet hope' project Wildflower 'portraits' for the Sweet Hope project. By its very nature the moon gently protects and influences. When we engage with the moon, we are connecting to the rhythms of the Earth, and tapping into the power and wisdom that lies within the natural world. Unique to the composition I painted the moon as a kind of portal that reveals rhythms from the primordial circle of life.
PREMIER SOOKE FINE ARTS SHOW, 2021 virtual exhibition & sale Attracting 10,000+ visitors, the Sooke Fine Arts Show is the region’s premiere art event and this year it is virtual, due to the pandemic. I am honoured to have two paintings juried and accepted into the shows Dogwood Gallery. Framed in modern matte black, imagine the glow of this painting in your living space... inspiring your senses. The crest of the surf is textured from beeswax and the mark making was a delight to express. All the best to my fellow artists. -Much light, N
EDWARD JONES CANADA: representation
Here I am working during lockdown on the new Sweet Hope collection for the conservation of bees; painting after making an encaustic wax pour with local beeswax. Keeping with the times, I am honoured to be accepted into two on-line juried virtual shows with the Federation Gallery in Vancouver; each expressing reflections on the pandemic. Each painting recalls days spent walking under the skies among nature, to find peace among wild things. Happy to share that our entry fees raised funds for front-line workers! The Social Distancing exhibit is an international competition and the "Looking In, Looking Out" exhibit is the Federation Gallery's Victoria chapter spring show. Much light and social-caring for each other during this time, and always. - N
'SWEET HOPE', a new project for bee preservation
To celebrate their life, I will make space in the composition for encaustic bees' wax. I find the beauty of molten wax elicits a graceful texture among the organic and the man-made. Perhaps this collection might spark hope to live, heal and work in harmony with nature in contemporary life. - Much light, N
BEST IN SHOW FOR ARTISTIC ACCOMPLISHMENT: Designers' Choice Award
The Sooke Fine Arts Show is the premier juried fine art event for my region. I am so delighted to be the recipient of the curators, 2018 Designers' Choice Award for "best artwork that embodies an emphasis on artistic and technical accomplishment; is advanced and displays originality." In 2019, the painting "Between Tomorrow" (oil mixed-media), was showcased to represent the region's 33rd premier art event. The painting was on the front cover of the exhibition catalogue, all domestic and international social & print media, as well as digital-street boards in the Greater Victoria region.
Between Tomorrow. The miracle of a birth in nature took hold of my heart and I felt that space and design had to profoundly influence the composition. The orientation and physical format of the canvas-frame became as important as the brushwork. Presenting a five-foot 'landscape' as a 'portrait', asks the viewer to relate to the paintings on a visceral level; thus eliciting an intuitive personal response and connection between their body and the subject. Compositionally, "Between Tomorrow" is made with two built-canvases assembled together, presenting a physical, horizontal seam where the canvases meet, reminding us of our fragile built world. This architectural reconstruction is physical, yet gently stirs the emotional energies of the viewer, as they rise with the dragonfly's first breath — a moment of transformation. - Thrilled, N 2018
PERMANENT FINE ART ACQUISITION: Royal Roads University Spring 2019. Such a very special honour to let you know that my painting 'Carbon Thoughts' has been purchased for curatorial acquisition into the permanent fine art collection at Royal Roads University, for public viewing. The university aspires to collaborations as the way forward to sustainable living and protecting nature. Located on the beautiful Hatley Castle National Historic site and traditional lands of the Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) and Lkwungen (Songhees) ancestors; the painting is displayed in the School of Environment & Sustainability, Sherman Jen Building. I am deeply grateful to the university for this exceptional honour, for the painting can now exist to celebrate the wonder of nature in the hearts of students, educators and the people for future generations.
CLASSICAL RENAISSANCE REIMAGINED: "Emily, Remembered"
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE: 'edging forward' project
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY SHOWCASE GALLERY Edging Forward: reconciliation *reconnection * regeneration
FRONT COVER: Focus Magazine
PAINTING SERIES VIRTUALLY PUBLISHED, Fernweh Press
The Canada Arts Council awarded Dr. Dale with the national Arts Molson Prize for Social Sciences and she has always integrated the arts into her research. Dr. Dale is Canada's Research Chair for sustainable communities and Nancyanne Cowell was selected as the artist to illuminate the Edging Forward multi-media project. "Sometimes we need to flow where truth and growth take us. Life-size, the paintings possess a unique aura of calm and mystery to inspire the senses. Illuminating each chapter, they are intended to offer peace and quiet contemplation in harmony with Nature. They are an expression of love for living things and an inspired vision of the eternal. Working with oils mixed-media on joined diptychs, the collection took five years to make. Wispy edges of movement and light endure as swans and dragonflies move in cyclical flight — each finding their way. Maple keys twirl heading into rabbit holes. Water as a symbol of renewal, cleansing and emotional energy, flows throughout the paintings. It is the source of all life between and amongst all species. Timeless and delightfully moody, powerful colours paired with atmospheric energy can reach deep into the hearts and minds that spend time absorbing them." - Edging Forward Art Collection, N 2017
JDSTEVENSON GALLERY INAUGURAL: first sale
PUBLISHED: in Seaside Magazine
SEASIDE Magazine, January 2014 issue, published an article Time Suspended: Dust Motes, Dragonflies and Dandelion Clocks by Stephanie Webb, BA, BFA, MA, Contemporary Art Critic. [..."Many speak about the beauty of Cowell's paintings; however, for me, these canvases are more. Something deeper is implied. For example, in Timewriter (pictured), swirling brushstrokes of deep burgundy vibrate with energy yet are held in check by the areas of blush pink and incandescent cinnamon. These quieter spaces, or pauses, encourage contemplation. Also, the inclusion of other elements and motifs, such as dots and dragonfly, is telling. I am reminded of days gone by — when there was time to watch dust motes dance in the sunbeams, when there were opportunities to stare lazily at darting dragonflies and when I really believed you could tell the time by blowing dandelion clocks — and I mourn my loss of innocence. The dragonfly is a gentle reminder that change is inevitable. Like the circle, these ancient beings are often seen as symbols of transformation and connote the cyclical nature of life."...] -Grateful, N 2014
THE GALLERY AT MATTICK'S: first floral show
PUBLISHED ARTICLE: in Island Gals Magazine
PUBLISHED ARTICLE, Seaside Magazine SEASIDE Magaine, 2013 Women to Watch, March 2013 Issue; RECYCLED VASES...IN THE GARDEN - Nancyanne Cowell, Artist. This was an extract, from the upcoming floral art exhibition [..."I found this most charming vase in the recycle, and took it home with me. And deep inside, where no one could see, several cracks appeared. Most delicately, I washed the curves with soap and water until they shined. Surveying the garden, my inner voice flickered and listened to the tweak of the creative moment. I knew. I stood the vessel into its place, its home — its new passage to be, residing next to the immortal Iris. I put fresh water and flowers in it every day until the cracks in the surface began to heal. Sometimes the vase felt vulnerable when seen inside, but I would place more flowers in, and fill it with my favorite song. It would be transformed again. It knows it is strong enough for anything."...] -N 2013
Y.A.M. MAGAZINE Nancyanne's painting Unveiling Your Voice is on the wall for this featured Victoria home in Y.A.M. Magazine, July/August 2011 edition, with the Feature Article: Custom Homes.
SOLO SHOW, Sooke Harbour House Art Gallery
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After a year of lockdowns, it is my great pleasure to announce a new corporate representative for my artwork: Bartosz Glodek of Edward Jones Canada in Cordova Bay, BC. Dwelling in peaceful inspiration, this unique skyscape painting will bring comfort and connection to visitors and clients. The ethereal shimmer of the iridescent sky, echoes the assemblage of abalone shells, creating a texture that can be felt as well as seen. An endangered species, the decaying remnants of these shells were collected over time from the Cordova Bay beach. Their beauty should always be remembered.
To mark the 2019 year of 'Climate Awakening in Canada', the paintings 'Fusing Love' and 'Between Tomorrow' were purchased for curatorial acquisition into the permanent fine art collection for Royal Roads University, British Columbia. Five years in the making, the Edging Forward project with Dr. Ann Dale was an artistic and educational collaboration of research, artwork and multimedia...dedicated to Canada's changing landscape. I am exceptionally grateful for this special honour. I hope the love and energy in these paintings will stir people's hearts towards the natural world and all its’ rhythms and sustenance. The paintings are now permanently featured in the School of Environment and Sustainability for public 
