Nicora Gangi at The Gallery of CNY

Nicora Gangi, already recognized & acclaimed for her pastels, in 2006 she received a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation to teach herself to paint in oil. It is clear that in just a short time she has mastered the technique. In her oils - just as in her pastels - she uses color and value to depict dramatic light and reflections. But even more and beyond technique, Nicora captures and celebrates the beauty of anything she paints. Nicora Gangi continues to debut her oils & show larger pastels at The Gallery of CNY.

Read more about the artist below. Webpage updated 1/15/2012

American Realism by artist Nicora Gangi represented by The Gallery of CNY

Click Here to Read More about artist in American Art Collector Magazine

Artist’s Statement: “In a world of frenzied speed, endless worry and work, to slow down and ponder seems to exist in pockets instead of droves, yet is essential for even a modest quality of life. Looking is not only valuable it is sine qua non for human life, for meaning, for hope in a world in perpetual crisis. There is a persistent gesture toward the quintessential value of being an observer: merely looking. Observation as an artistic discipline manifested itself in the historical art movement often referred to as Realism. Its roots date back as far as the 14th century when the artist Giotto entered the art scene. Thus, Realism as an artistic strategy is both traditional and avant-garde, and it has been used in the service of both. Realism, as a style of art, is rich and varied, both in the simple and direct visual apprehension of the thing seen, and in the insights gleaned from observation of both nature and human culture. In my pastel works on paper I explore the natural and human culture evoking a mysterious and nearly miraculous feeling of light, darkness, space, and even the passage of time. In the still life assemblages from which I draw are implicit narratives and deeply symbolic communications humans instinctively seek: hope in the face of death, the possibility of genuine permanence, and the perseverance of meaning in spite of our weakness, brokenness, and failure. My aim as an artist is to be the observer penetrating with my eyes and heart this concrete world to realize and visualize at its depths the ultimate reality. I aim to render that aesthetic experience of being overwhelmed, filled with awe at something so majestic it evokes a sense of the One who created everything seen and un-seen.”

Artist Biography: Gangi is committed to creating art that invites the viewers to enter into a visual dialogue with still life and landscapes. Born in Indiana she was educated at the Hartford Art School, Montclair State College and Syracuse University where she received a BFA and MFA. Her fields include both fine arts and art education. She was faculty for 27 years at Syracuse University, Studio Arts and Design Programs. She lectures and exhibits regionally and nationally.

In 1998, Gangi was one of three finalists chosen by Artist Magazine for their yearly competition. In 2000, she was featured in the Pastel Artist International magazine. Design magazine, CMYK, has featured her work several times and in 2001, she was awarded the honorable Harris Popular Award, from the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester NY. In 2003, Gangi was the featured artist in American Artist magazine and American Artist Highlights Still Life magazine featured her pastels in 2005. The Pastel Journal awarded Gangi the Grand Prize for use of pastels in April 2005 and International Artist featured Gangi in their spring 2006 issue. The "Calvin Institute of Christian Worship" website featured Gangi's work in April 2006; also in 2006, Gangi's editorial artwork was in "Pray!" and in "Discipleship Journal". A number of her pastel paintings are published in the books, Pure Color and Finding Your Visual Voice and on book covers by Crown & Covenant Press and Shepherd Press. The Comstack Review and The Stone Canoe Journal of Arts will feature Gangi's work in 2008.