NORWAY – The artwork of Waterford artist Nancy Engdahl, featuring fine and precise details, will be on exhibit at the Café Nomad for the month of May. Engdahl is a member of and serves on the boards of directors for the Western Maine Art Group in Norway and Gallery 302 in Bridgton.
Engdahl has taken art lessons from the time she was a child, starting with oils. Growing up in the Boston area, her favorite place to visit was the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. While in college, she could often be found sketching people, even her teachers. Since Engdahl moved to Maine years ago, she has studied art locally with WMAG past president Barbara Traficonte and WMAG founder and past president Lee Bean.
“My style needs focus, and the focus needs to excite me in order to feel like I want to paint it. I do paint from photos. Out of 100 shots, only one will inspire me to paint. And I take my own shots. That is the ethic that Lee Bean taught me,” Engdahl said. “I will always be grateful for what she taught me.”
Even throughout a 30-year career teaching English, Engdahl studied art. After her children were born, the only time she could paint was during summer visits to Waterford.
“I try to show my great love for the beauty of Maine in my watercolors,” she said.
Besides Café Nomad, Engdahl’s work can be seen in Gallery 302 in Bridgton and will be a part of several shows this summer: the Norway Sidewalk Art Show during the Norway Arts Festival, July 12; Bridgton Art in the Park, July 19; Mill Creek Art in the Park in South Portland, Aug. 9; and Matolcsy Arts Center in Norway.
Café Nomad owner Scott Berk said his mission is to provide the community with a place to eat, relax, socialize, work and, most importantly, be inspired. Besides serving local, sustainable and seasonal foods, the café features a private art collection, a non lending library, a map drawer and periodic performances.
Diana Arcadipone, who manages the Community Gallery at Café Nomad, is associate dean in the office of extended programs at the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley and a member of the Commons Art Collective in Norway.
For more information, visit www.lakesidestudio.biz or www.cafenomad.com.
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