ARTIST STATEMENT

Nancy Furhman

I was fortunate to have a wonderful art teacher in elementary school. Mrs. Kauffman always supported my ideas and took away boundaries that tend to confine a creatives spirit. I remember making kites in 2nd grade out of a reed, tissue paper and string and glue. My classmates made diamond or round shapes … maybe a heart…but I wanted to make a bunny. As I shaped the body, head and ears, Mrs. Kauffman immediately knew what I was doing and said, “Oh you need more reed for the legs and tail!” as she proceeded to gather more. She never said no, can’t or shouldn’t. And thus, I have been creating whatever is on my mind, in whatever medium I choose. All my life I know she is the reason I became an elementary school art teacher. How lucky for me.

Most recently I have been working with fiber arts (wool most notably), needle felting with some wet felting. Felting allows me to combine my love of drawing and painting as I, “paint with wool.” My subject matter can be landscapes, florals, animals, and all things nature and living things. Images are selected that give a sense of calm and serenity – as a tall stoic tree that has existed a hundred years. Animals grazing in an open field, a sleeping kitten, a landscape that captures wonder. I want others to feel a sense of peacefulness, lightness, creating and capturing intimations that all is right with the world.