Nita Engle Painting References

Here she is, the lady herself!! There are so few photos of her, so I'm collecting them here for fun whenever I find one

I’ve always had a great affinity for swamps, and I’ve spent a lot of time making sketches, taking photos and generally gathering research material for future paintings, but I’ve often wondered what it would really be like to live there, to actually have a house by the wilderness marshes. I would wake up in the morning to the profusion of flowers, and in the quiet, many animals would come. I would know where the game trails where. The marshes themselves are full of life and light, and living and painting there would mean opportunities to observe everything on a day-to-day and season-to-season basis. I would know the habits of ducks and turtles, the way of the frog. And I would call the house Wild Rose Cottage. -Nita Engle

When I was on the scene of After the Rain, Whitby, I remember a sense of elation—the feeling you get when a thunder shower suddenly moves on and everything is refreshed. The clouds lifted, I though, like a veil, a watercolor veil. The whole scene was a watercolor—that unique brightness after a summer rain, the thunder still rumbling in the distance, dramatic value contrasts, strong shapes, the old, wet wharf, and the feeble artificial lights against the tremendous light of the universe. - Nita Engle

Encountering this mountain meadow was like entering a storybook world—the half-remembered world of Heidi and her life in the mountains. I remembered reading of the changing seasons, especially the spring, when great areas of the landscape were carpeted with flowers. Many mountain meadows such as this one were originally lakes that were gradually filled with decayed vegetation during a period of thousands of years. The rich earth and the short, intense growing season produce a wild profusion of brilliantly colored flowers—colors that are not even on my palette. The colors, the jewel-like setting and the fine combination of sun and mist all made this meadow quite a challenge to paint. My early reading, however, made it an irresistible challence. The forces of literature are as lasting as the mountains themselves. If there had not been a Heidi in my past, I may not have had such a response to this mountain meadow. -N. Engle

Last Light on the Marshes was inspired by the swamps and wetlands near where I live. At dusk they have a mysterious quality and, as the sun sets, become a little threatening. The thought of getting lost and having to spend the night there is unsettling; these marshes are trackless and still remain true wilderness areas. Then there are the sounds—I've heard blood curdling cries coming from there as the dark settles in! I wanted this painting to convey some of these emotions, including a bit of menace. - Nita Engle, How to Make Watercolor Paint Itself

This river reminds me of childhood places that have now somehow become a state of mind. I think most children growing up in city or country try to find some private place to be alone—to retreat, to think and dream, to bury treasures or whatever. I had the good fortune to be raised on the edge of a great wilderness area. With forests, streams and lakes to roam, there was an abundance of such solitary places. We all grew up thinking we owned all of it and would become quite indignant about chance encounters with other people in the woods. In such places as this river, because a child engrossed in his own thoughts is likely to be very still, he sometimes is given a bonus. Some wild creature may appear on the scene—a deer coming to drink, or in this case, Canada geese floating quietly into view between the reeds and lily pads. - N. Engle

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