Nancy Stalnaker: Capturing Nature in Watercolor | Arts & Entertainment

COLCHESTER — Nancy Stalnaker has had a paintbrush in her hand since she was a child.

“My mom was an artist, and so I was just always around it growing up,” the Colchester watercolor artist said. 

Stalnaker has fond memories of accompanying her mother on trips to paint outdoors, and her entire family was artistic. Her father, in his later life, was a sculptor. 

Stalnaker is self taught, learning primarily by experimenting with watercolors and attending workshops in her retirement. She has a studio at The Green House in Burlington’s South End arts district. 

In Colchester, she lives near the Lamoille River and has a wooded backyard, both of which serve as a major source of inspiration. 

“I’m right on the edge of water, which has really had a big impact on my life,” she said. “I feel really fortunate to be right dab in the middle of it.” 

Waterscapes through the changing seasons are a prominent feature in her work. A late summer sunset throws color on lake water. Green hillsides are mirrored in a winding river. 

Stalnaker painted less during her career in research compliance at the University of Vermont, but returned to painting more consistently following her retirement. In those “second act” years, she painted with intensity and attended a lot of art shows, which helped get her name out there.

Now in her “third act,” after the COVID-19 pandemic, she focuses primarily on being in her studio and working mostly with regular customers. 

“I did a huge online business during the pandemic, and I decided I didn’t really want to do mail order and I didn’t really want to do shows anymore,” she said. “I just really wanted to paint.”

Stalnaker sold four original paintings during this year’s recent Art Hop event in Burlington and introduced new people to her artwork.  

She also does commissions for people she knows or those who find her art online. Typically, these works commemorate an event, like a wedding, or create a unique record of a place.

“I do a lot of wedding gifts, and they’re usually from someone’s favorite place,” Stalnaker said. Sometimes it involves a building. Sometimes it involves a favorite view.”

Stalnaker finds inspiration in her craft from traveling and by trying out new painting techniques. She recommends that artists looking to start out or get back into the craft be unafraid of the blank page.

“If you don’t sit down and do it, then you’re not going to get anywhere with it,” she said. “Let whatever comes out, come out. And you don’t have to love it. Nobody else ever has to even see it.” 

Stalnaker continues to sell a watercolor calendar during the holiday season on her Etsy shop and focuses on direct sales of original paintings and prints to order. Those interested in custom work and original paintings can contact her by email at www.nancystalnaker.com/contact.html.