Becky Todd York of Vienna introduces Alice Nodine at Sunday, Dec. 2 Artist Reception and Talk at The Gallery at the Church of the Good Shepherd (United Methodist), 2351 Hunter Mill Road, Vienna. Photo by Lisa Fay/The Connection
When you think of “Peace Like a River” you may think of serene watercolor portraits. But for Alice Nodine’s creations, they are bursting with color and character. Her work is on display at The Gallery at the Church of the Good Shepherd (United Methodist), 2351 Hunter Mill Road, Vienna.
Nodine calls herself a mixed media painter that uses bold and bright colors along with stencils and dip dry techniques. “I start with paper, then I add paint and manipulate it while I let it run and then I add more colors. At the end, I subtract out what I want to be on a block or panel,” states Nodine. In her speech at the exhibit opening Sunday, Dec. 2, Nodine went on to explain that even though she began to take classes many years ago, it was only in the last couple of years that she has been able to devote more time to painting.
“I still work full time, so unfortunately I don’t do this full time, but I carved out a studio in my home to help inspire me,” states Nodine. “I can make a mess in a matter of two hours and not have to worry about it afterwards!” She went on to say that she got a lot out of her classes, regardless of her satisfaction of the end result. “I was going through a very stressful time in my life and art was sort of my escape,” said Nodine. “It allowed me to step away from whatever was giving me stress at that moment and just completely get absorbed into something creative and a lot of times I would lose track of time and I’d come out of a session and realize how much better I’d feel. My breathing had slowed, my pulse had slowed. It was very refreshing and renewing to do that.”
Nodine hopes that after she retires she will be able to take more art classes in the future to expand her artistic abilities.