| Nancy Albrecht |
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ABOUT MY WORK Geometric shapes, and unexpected tension caused by shadow patterns and reflections are at the core of my work. I am drawn to alleys, industrial sites and commercial locations where there is grit and activity. Chicago offers so many challenges to the plein air painter with El tracks streaming overhead, bridges and waterways carving up the city, and meat and produce markets full of trucks and workers. These places dare me to paint, and I love the dare (even when I fail.) The Prairie Cement Works along the Chicago River just northwest of the loop, and the recycling center in the industrial corridor just off Clybourn Street are two of the best sites for this type of work. The activity goes on non-stop and changes constantly. I am also drawn to the quiet corners that can be found within the city limits. Included in my work are paintings done in the parks and neighborhoods where life seems to slow a bit. And then to clear my head and think big, I head for western Illinois and southern Wisconsin, to paint on the back-roads where the only sounds are birds and farm equipment. Big fields, big sky, and big air help maintain balance in my work. After painting for twenty years on stretched canvas, I decided to try working on boards and panels. This rigid surface allows me to switch back and forth between brush and palette knife to achieve the textural surfaces that have appeared in my work of the past year. As a result, many of the paintings are “about” surface. All of my smaller paintings are completed on-site in one or two sessions, while the larger paintings are done in the studio using smaller paintings or drawings and sometimes a photograph as reference material for the larger work.
Nancy Parkinson Albrecht
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