About Nancy
and her award winning artwork
Watercolor is my primary medium. I also paint in oil and more recently I have been experimenting with mixed media.
When I started painting I was attracted by the subtleties, clarity, and freshness that characterize a successful watercolor. Although watercolor can be an unforgiving medium I find it to be challenging and rewarding. My preference is to work outside “en plein air” rather than in the studio. Being on location increases my creative juices and helps me to maintain a spontaneous approach to the painting.
Even though I am a representational painter I am not interested in merely recreating a landscape or street scene. I try to capture the essence of a place and convey the emotion I feel from the scene. What attracts me to a particular subject is very often the relationship of light and shadow or the arrangement of shapes. Because I work so much outside, light is what pulls me toward a particular scene. Often I choose to paint scenes that include architecture. The shapes which buildings create against the sky or in relation to one another fascinate me.
As artists, we often are drawn to subjects, which have a strong emotional appeal. For me, it is the New England coast, which I associate with my childhood. My parents and I spent many summers at the shore and I always feel at peace when I am painting in that environment. I try to communicate that serenity and beauty in my work. I want the viewer to be able to identify with a scene and to share the excitement I feel about the subject matter.
SELECT AWARDS AND HONORS
- Third Place, Cape Ann Plein Air Exhibition, Rockport, MA. August 2019
- Traveling Show, Arts Guild of Old Forge, Adirondack National Exhibition, 2006
- First Place for Watercolor, Magnolia Arts Festival, 2004
- Honorable Mention, New England Watercolor Society Annual Members Show, 2004
- Signature Artist, Rhode Island Watercolor Society, 2003
- Gold Medal, Audubon Artists Annual Exhibition, 2002
- Harris Memorial Award, Rhode Island Watercolor Society, Annual Members Show, 2001
- John Singer Sargent Award, Rhode Island Watercolor Society, National Competition, 2000
- Signature Artist, New England Watercolor Society, 2000
- Copley Artist, Copley Society, 1997
MEMBERSHIPS
- Artist Member, Audubon Artists, New York, New York
- Signature Member, New England Watercolor Society
- Artist Member, North Shore Arts Association, Gloucester, MA
- Signature Member, Rhode Island Watercolor Society, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
- Artist Member, Rockport Art Association, Rockport, MA
- Associate Member, American Watercolor Society, New York, NY
REVIEWS & PUBLICATIONS
- Nancy Alimansky, “Echoes of Highland Jazz: Swingin’ in the Boston Suburbs 1983-2003,” June 2015, Infinity Publishing
- Nancy Alimansky, “Right Foot First: A Memoir,” April 2012, Infinity Publishing
- Stephen Doherty, “Landscapes and All the Jazz”, American Artist Magazine, October 2003
- Rhode Island Watercolor Society, 2006 Calendar
- New England Artists, 2004 Calendar, Brooks Pharmacy Publishers
- The Best of Watercolor, volume 3, Rockport Publishers, Inc., 1999
- BOLLI Journal, Volume Eight, 2015-2016
- BOLLI Journal, Volume Nine, 2017-2018
- Newton Watercolor Society 2019 Calendar