June Artist of the Month
Meet Nancy Levin
Artist Nancy Levin grew up in Newton, Massachusetts and “while the other girls went to ballet, (her) mother took her to the MFA.” She created art in any form whenever possible. She took all the art classes offered at Newton South High, and after pursuing other more practical studies, she graduated as a Studio Arts Major from the University of Vermont. After college, Levin enjoyed a career in graphic design but then, looking for a new challenge, she obtained a Master’s Degree in Business. She also became a BCG-Certified Genealogist® and has published journal articles and written chapters for reference-books in her field.
Finding success outside of graphic design, Levin missed making art and started taking watercolor classes at the Danforth Museum School with Nan Rumpf. She began falling in love with watercolor. Since then, she has taken classes at New Art Center, Newton Continuing Education Program, Concord Art, and Elm Bank. Gary Tucker and, more recently, Martha Wakefield have been other impactful teachers. While continuing to learn, Levin became an active member of numerous artist societies including the WSA, Newton Art Association, Newton Watercolor Society, New England Watercolor Society, Rhode Island Watercolor Society, Needham Art Association, and Natick Art Association. Art continues to take her on a journey; “I am falling into wherever I am going. I’m having a delightful time.”
Levin also participates in workshops whenever possible. Probably most influential in her recent life have been numerous plein air workshops with David Dewey in Owls Head, Maine and online through Zoom. Under his auspices, Levin has met interesting and encouraging artists, who help her to “free (her) visual voice and become more open/looser in (her) work.” She has developed a supportive network of fellow artists: “I’m in an exciting place: I’m working with a group of people who are as comfortable to me as a pair of soft and worn slippers.” Boosted by the warmth of her peers, she has become more confident in her work. The artist has exhibited at both Newton and Natick Open Studios.
Levin reflects, “I’m allowed to look at all possibilities now…when the paint starts flying, the colors come out” and she chooses a direction to follow. One day she decided to paint a line of yellow school buses seen through the trees. The painting turned into a simple landscape where bright shapes displaced the buses and the trees disappeared. Levin realizes, “It worked as what I was trying to say was all about color.” She continues to paint “with exuberance and for the most part outside the lines.”
