Artist's Statement

I began painting in the 70's, while living in the Western United States. Inspired by the terrain and wide-open spaces, my paintings depict my love of the area. After being away from many years, I returned in 2000 to study the "High Sierra" and the desert in order to rekindle my ongoing passion for the mountains.

In the beginning, I spent several years painting as a realist. After studying professionally and exploring new techniques, my work took on a higher dimension. My works have been described as abstract expressionist style, while some have tagged me as an impressionist.

In studying all mediums, I like to think I have my own style. My work is versatile, with watercolor, acrylics, and mixed media as my main focus. I settled into watercolor in the 80's, using a technique of painting almost completely with a palette knife, exploring different papers, canvas, and other painting surfaces.

My work is often mistaken for oils, since my work surface of choice is illustration board. I moved into acrylics and mixed media in the 90's. In 2000, I explored murals and was commissioned for one in Reno, Nevada. Since then, commission work for Nevada landscapes has been my passion.

Whether I'm painting a floral, landscape, or abstract, I often like to use pure, bold colors, with a value system from the beginning to the end of the spectrum. I like to invite the viewer to share my adventuresome, creative spirit.

                    Norma Fowler