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Power of Place in The White Mountains

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Power of Place in The White Mountains

Power of Place in The White Mountains
Oil Paintings by Nancy Griswold

It has been a personal mission to return to the White Mountains and paint scenes of this beautiful and thought provoking place in northern New England. Other artists have tread before me and inspired me. The works here can only express my journey and magnetism to this natural place of beauty, drama and solace.

I lived and worked as an artist in the White Mountains for 13 years around 1985 to 1998, then left for several years to expand my capabilities in southern New England. I have returned, drawn back to the Mountains by 2010; this time with an urgency to paint and explore the White Mountain areas on a deeper level through oils. Whether I stay here in the future is not determined. For now, I have intentions of completing an oil paintings series of the Whites Mountains of New Hampshire. This show in Lincoln bears witness to the mission through the few oil paintings I did since my arrival.

When I was away from the Whites, I missed the air, the dramatic weather, the people, villages, old friends, artists and creatives I felt comradeship with in the White Mountains. I missed the quite time, where reflective and spiritual thoughts occurred through quiet observation. I also missed sounds of nature, gorgeous scenes, the freedom to walk with nature and breathe clean air.

In southern New England I was enthralled by the museum displays of the Hudson River School Painters and the American Impressionists (who encouraged my new passion for plein-air oil painting). These artists brought my love for northern New England closer; as many of them painted scenes of the White Mountains. In thought provoking times after several family deaths, I felt a new path unfolding; it was time I must return to paint the places I had come to love and miss, before it is too late; the places of the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

The concern for continued conservation stewardship deeply stirs my mind and heart when painting the natural landscape in the Whites. I now witness the changes that occurred during the years I was not here.
I do hope that at the end this mission, this collection of oil paintings may come to serve as a token which enlightens the need for greater efforts in preservation and conservation of our White Mountain areas and towns. This is a powerful place, a place where the next generations are deserving of all its natural magnificence, grandeur and the historical resonance we have been so lucky to witness and enjoy.

All these works started on location, some have been finished in studio and others not. The plein air approach I planned for this 2012; canvases are now prepared for this ongoing mission. I am still jostled by the hectic demands of modern living like many, yet the core mission remains strong inside and grounds me as of present. The project will be completed in its own time frame as situations and opportunity permits.

Thank you for coming to visit the preview of this new series. I will gladly plan painting time with others who desire to paint in the Whites Mountains. I also mentor-teach oil painting and work on a series of Print Renditions of the Northern New England which is on display this June 2012 in the Cafe Monte Alto, Main Street, Plymouth, New Hampshire. Two day oil painting programs are now planned in Waterville Valley this summer and autumn. All information is on my two websites. You may also contact me through my two websites. These oil paintings are for sale, posted on my website for originals and prints. My Facebook page is titled: Nancy Griswold - Fine Artist