Nancy Benner

About the Artist

I was very fortunate to grow up within in walking distance of The Farnsworth Museum, in Rockland, Maine. My earliest memories, of a significant artist as an influencer, is Andrew Wyeth, it is because of his work I began painting in watercolor. I spent hours at the Farnsworth as a young girl studying his works. I began taking watercolor lessons from a local Camden artist William Greet, and my love of painting has never wavered. I have created art in many mediums throughout the years, although I always find myself returning to painting.

While attending classes at Maine College of Art in 1985, I studied under painter Glen Rennel. As a teacher he was very inspirational for me in that I began working in a larger format and began plein air painting. Another teacher who inspired me while receiving my BA in studio art at the University of Maine, was Ted Keller, a Maine and Arizona artist. His knowledge of color influenced me to embrace a more advanced color theory for my work. More artists I am drawn to professionally are, Georgia O’Keefe, Louise Nevelson, Lois Dodd, Alice Neil, and Alan Magee.

I have experimented with many mediums, collage, pastel, oils, print making, pottery, sculpture, and found object art. The subjects I am immediately drawn to are landscapes and nature driven, from the ocean to the farms and the animals.

I am a lifetime learner and continue to embrace my love for nature through my art.