permanent collection

Nancy Friese

Nancy Friese's powerfully lyrical landscapes are essays in both the substantial and the sublime. Nationally known for her exuberant oils, watercolors and prints, Friese brings her unique interpretation of place to a panoply of landscapes - from the sweeping expanses of the American West, to the ancient gardens and shrines of Japan, to the rocky coasts of the South of France and her native Rhode Island. For over twenty years she has devoted herself to painting outdoors - en plein air - making rapid studies of the fleeting effects of light and shadow on the natural environment, then translating what she sees into symphonic arrangements of color and space. Friese's desire to explore the mystery and changing moods of a particular landscape often leads her to revisit locations during different seasons or weather conditions.

Friese holds a M.F.A. from Yale University, and has received numerous honors and awards including three National Endowment for the Arts grants, one of which allowed her to spend six months working and living in Tokyo, Japan. Other residencies include a semester at Giverny, France, the celebrated home and gardens of Claude Monet, and Pont-Aven in Brittany, a favorite spot of Paul Gauguin's. She has exhibited widely throughout the U.S. and Europe and her work is in many significant collections including the Housatonic Museum of Art, the Grunwald Center at UCLA, and the Johnson & Johnson Corporation. She is currently Head of Printmaking Department and Professor of Visual Arts Department at Rhode Island School of Design.