Liz Paganelli Artist

My latest work, "Into the Forest", captures scenes of trees and forest from the Lake Tahoe landscape. This group of realistic pen and ink drawings portray the essence of my surroundings. The approach to my work is like a painter's approach to a canvas. I use sketches and photographs as a guide. I am allowing for artistic interpretation in composition and overall design. Each piece is densely layered, both literally and figuratively. Image, memory and process culminate to create my iconography.

My Background

I received a BFA from California College of the Arts and a MA from John F. Kennedy University. I also studied printmaking at Kala Institute in Berkeley, California and Santa Reparta Graphics Center in Florence, Italy. I've taught drawing and printmaking at the Sierra Nevada and Truckee Meadows community colleges. I live in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, surrounded by the beauty of the Sierra landscape. Art making is my passion; it empowers and vitalizes my life. The creative process is what brings me into the studio day after day.

My Medium

Currently I'm using pen and ink to transform my vision onto paper, there is something about the immediacy of pen and ink that's attractive to me. Although using pen and ink is a simple process it takes years to develop the skills to render a quality drawing. I use a variety of pens including Kon-I-Noor rapidograph pens , Micron, LePen, and Faber Castell Pitt Pens.

My Inspiration

I'm inspired by the Sierra Landscape that surrounds me. I've hiked, kayaked and cross country skied throughout the Sierra's. One of my favorite things to do is to sit and sketch in the quiet of nature. Every piece I create begins with a walk in the forest.