April 2008 Meeting
Guest Speaker: Rea Nagel
As a native of a very flat Illinois, Rea’s fascination with mountains and oceans is understandable, Rea has been in California for many years now and her love of the countryside and especially the mountains and the ocean seems to grow by the day…
“I get excited by the roar of the water and the color of the rocks.”
A secondary level school teacher, Rea taught math, history and art in Burbank for over 25 years. After retiring, Rea’s love of teaching art led to a part-time job of teaching adult school thus allowing time to devote to her paintings. Whatever excites her eye will become a subject of a painting. Rea will carry a sketchbook with her and make quick sketches that may later become paintings.
She uses watercolors, acrylic, collage and other mixed media, or whatever seems to transfer her visions and get the emotions to the appear and to the eye of the beholder. Rea enjoys blending the colors and create the motion that people see. “Everything is transitory and nothing is stagnant. What we see today in a certain light will assume different perspectives in a new and brighter or duller natural light. My own moods also color the views that I see and how I interpolate them. My paintings are the subjects I see and the emotions I feel expressed with color and texture.”
“I try to paint outdoors often, but it just doesn't happen too often. whenever I am at an interesting site I sketch. I use these sketches as the basis for my paintings. I use many mediums but watercolor is my favorite. Many times I combine the watercolor with acrylic, and or pastel and collage.” Rea currently teach watercolor painting at VIVA Gallery.
Visit Rea’s website.