Martha's Vineyard Artist Nina Gomez Gordon

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Kresge Gallery in Brunswick ME
Walker Art Museum in Brunswick ME
Northern Indiana Arts Association Tri-County Arts Exhibition in East Chicago IN (awards include Best of Show, Best Drawing, Outstanding, Award of Distinction, and Honorable Mention)
Congressional Arts Caucus 5th District Art Exhibition in Portage IN (awards include 1st and 2nd place)
Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society art show in West Tisbury MA (awards include 1st places, 2nd , & 3rd in oil)
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless in Boston MA
Friends of Family Planning annual art show in West Tisbury
Martha's Vineyard Film Festival
Dragonfly Gallery in Oak Bluffs MA
Featherstone Meetinghouse for the Arts in Oak Bluffs MA
(x) Gallery on Nantucket MA
Woodward Gallery in Soho NY Paper Invitational
Old Sculpin Gallery in Edgartown MA
Martha's Vineyard Museum

An artist is an editor; I paint to show what and how I see. Present in my paintings is empathy and wonder for the overlooked, unwanted, and simple beauty. My subjects are unique rather than perfect. I celebrate their color, rhythm, geometry, and force.

My plein air paintings convey a sense of a place rather than a specific moment. I return to familiar haunts repeatedly until I am done. They are literally the common ground where artist and viewer meet. Those who have been to the locations recognize the feeling of being there rather than the literal; those who have not been there often feel as if they had. Beginning and ending the painting on location allows me to get to know the place intimately, at different times and weather conditions. I am then able to choose which of my favorite moments to include.

I am greatly impressed with the impact of humans on nature and nature’s ability to renew itself. People often search for timelessness, immortality, a way of leaving a mark. Nature is relentless, achieving immortality through change and continuous rebirth. Many of the subjects of my paintings explore the beauty of the dynamic between human beings’ persistent attempts to shape, control, or fit into their environment and the overpowering force of the natural world to resist.

Painting oil on canvas, paper, or panels in a representational style bridges historical art tradition with contemporary modern vision. I have been painting the figure and the beauty of Martha’s Vineyard for over ten years, and have yet to tire of the shifting light, color, and texture.

Art speaks of universal truths. I find that even in depicting a specific person, place, or thing, there is a common human experience that can be expressed in conversation with the viewer. Come see what I see.