March 2015

Haynes Galleries presents
“Nancy Depew: Figures, Flowers & Forests”
March 6 to April 11, 2015
Reception: Friday, 5 p.m. to 7:30 pm, March 6, 2014

NASHVILLE— Verdant woods, powerful poses, and delicate flowers shine in Haynes Galleries’ newest vignette show, “Nancy Depew: Figures, Flowers & Forests.” Featuring Depew’s meticulously painted portraits, floral still lifes, and forestscapes, the exhibit is presented in conjunction with “Objets d’Art.” Both exhibits will be on view from March 6 to April 11 at Haynes Galleries on the Music Row Roundabout.

Based in New Jersey, Depew combines traditional realist oil painting techniques with a contemporary twist. She works extensively from life, building up paint through careful layers. The result is work that is remarkably vivid, lifelike, and moving.

Sunlight filters through unseen canopies in Depew’s forestscapes to reveal vividly green trees and flowing brooks. Nothing disrupts the silence of the untouched oasis. The quiet is an element imbued from the beginning. “When I paint,” says Depew, “I feel like I’m trying to uncover something that is at once very fragile and elusive. If I talk too loud, it all disappears.” With simple, evocative titles like Whisper, Treasure, and Pause the forestscapes suggest the artist’s state of mind as she worked.

The same careful consideration goes into Depew’s floral still lifes. Each features a single vibrant, blooming flower set against a plain tabletop. But paintings like Afterthought are more like character studies than mere still lifes where the artist can explore emotion and experiment with design. “I use the flower as a vehicle that provides me with a way for channeling something internal, fragile and elusive,” says the artist. No matter the intent, each is rendered with exquisite detail as translucent petals glow in soft light.

Florals are also a key feature in Depew’s figural paintings where she combines evocatively posed nudes with walls of flowers. In Insight the woman’s suggested mindset is the heart of the piece. Depew skillfully manipulates pose, gesture, and point of view, conveying feeling and emotion in addition to producing an exquisitely crafted work of art.

A master of three genres, Depew produces work that is meticulous but full of emotion. This show is rare treat to immerse oneself in Depew’s paintings where feeling meets craft.