THE makers Liz Paganelli Fine Art

BY KAYLA ANDERSON

Ifirst discovered Liz Paganelli Fine Art in the Piper J Gallery in Truckee, automatically drawn to the beautifully detailed colorings of nature and the world. Later, I was fortunate enough to take a Nature Journaling course with her at the studio last July, surrounded by the abundance of greenery outside the Garden Folly building on West River Street.

She taught us how to be in the present when nature journaling: noticing the weather, noise levels and people around us. She showed us how to unleash our curiosity through drawing by asking ourselves questions such as why a flower is a particular color or think about what it reminds us of.

Even as a writer, I found that taking that class allowed me to stay in the present and later I remembered more about what happened that day, as well as what I learned about the intricacies of the feverfew leaf I drew.

Paganelli has been into art since she was 5 years old when her mom bought her a set of fingerpaints.

“I just sat at the kitchen table and painted with them all day,” she said. A few years later, she watched her cousin draw a portrait of her dad and it was just magic to her. Something clicked. When she became an adult, Paganelli earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from California College of the Arts and a master’s from John F. Kennedy

University where she worked in portraiture. She has also studied printmaking at Kala Institute in Berkeley and at a graphic center in Florence, Italy.

“I always loved art and creativity and my mom was always so supportive. She gave me a space to create art. My mom loved nature and grew roses. She would look at one, turn to me and say, ‘How could a person not believe in God?’” began enjoying more of the outdoors, she created her “Into the Forest” line drawings series. making it cohesive,” she said.

Paganelli said, smiling.

“The forest is so interesting, so mysterious,” she said.

Paganelli likes to create her artwork in different collections with around 20 pieces in each. After making “Into the Forest,” she then completed what she calls the “Ravens Alphabet,” which explores the notions of ethics, order and virtue.

“I have five grandkids and I wanted to leave them something, so I did a series of mixed-media virtues. Some are literal and some you have to contemplate,” she said.

Paganelli has also always been interested in The Renaissance and illuminated manuscripts and is fascinated with Joris Hoefnagel’s work, a 16th Century Flemish artist. She recently created a Hoefnagel-inspired collection and as we flipped through a book of his work, Paganelli said: “His compositions are so interesting, intricate and crazy. They don’t make much sense, but they are so much fun.”

She was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and when her own children grew and moved out of the house, she and her husband were ready to make a change. They moved to the North Shore 30 years ago and have lived there since.

“It was such a good fit. I found a group of women to hike, kayak and go cross-country skiing with,” she said. Shortly after she moved to Tahoe and

The pieces go down the alphabet, with names such as “Awareness,” “Endurance” and “Intuition.” Paganelli also completed a “Walking A to Z in Yosemite” series of colored etchings documenting all the camps that she visited. Her work is always evolving, as seen through each of her collections. Most recently she’s been creating mixed-media art on panels with vibrant flowers, birds, paper and lovely scripts all carefully intertwined.

Looking at her sunflower panels, I noticed that intricately drawn birds, petals, postage stamps, color and illustrative text collaborate.

“I spent a lot of time in Italy and that’s where I get the papers and stamps. I’ve collected a lot of stuff; the hard part is

As we looked at more of her art in her sunlight-filled studio, Paganelli said: “These pieces and a lot of the work I have are about connections and those connections to nature. I look at these and they tell me a story, and what is going on in my life at the time. Art is the one thing that truly connects the mind, body and soul. It keeps me balanced and gives me a tremendous amount of joy.” Her work is on display at Piper J Gallery in Truckee. Paganelli will be teaching a Nature Journaling class in May at the Incline Village Recreation Center. | lizpaganellifineart.com n

Trails & Vistas

Experience Art In Nature

This summer Trails & Vistas Art Hikes will start at Spooner Lake State Park’s new Visitor Center and outdoor amphitheater on June 24 and 25. The hikes are 2.6 miles, rated easy/moderate. Tickets are on sale now; general tickets are $45 for adults and $15 for children or “Build Your Own Pod” private tour for up to 18 people. Information about the hikes and tickets are on the website. | trailsandvistas.org

Poetry Deadline Approaching

Community of Writers announced that its Poetry Workshop in Olympic Valley will be from June 19 to 25. The Poetry

Workshop is founded on the belief that when poets gather in a community to write new poems, each poet may well break through old habits and write something stronger and truer than before. Poets who will be teaching are Kazim Ali, Victoria Chang, Forrest Gander, Carmen Giménez, Brenda Hillman and Evie Shockley. The deadline for applications is March 28. | communityofwriters.org asks artists to submit a design and qualifications for the opportunity to be selected to paint a mural on an area of the exterior abutment walls under the Truckee River Bridge bike trail. There are two mural spaces available that will span the side wall and roof. Submissions are due by 5 p.m. on March 29. | artsfortheschools.org

The Arts

Hannah Fridholm: Passed Recollection

Foyer Gallery LTCC, South Lake Tahoe, March 22-31, 8 a.m., (530) 541-4660, ltcc.edu

Field Notes Exhibit

Truckee Community Recreation Center, Truckee, March 22-April 5, 8 a.m., melhopgallery.com

Incline High School AP Art Students Art Exhibit

Arts for the Schools

Call To Artists For Mural

Arts For The Schools and Placer County invite professional artists/teams currently living in California or Nevada to produce a mural along the Tahoe City/ Truckee River Bike Trail, located past the Tahoe City Transit Center in Tahoe City.

Arts For the Schools Mural Project

Incline Village Library, March 22-April 5, 10 a.m., (775) 832-4130, washoecountylibrary.us

Participate 8 Art Contest

North Tahoe Arts, Tahoe City, March 22-31, 10 a.m., (530) 581-2787, northtahoearts.org

Contemplations in Black & White Group Show

Piper J Gallery, Truckee, Wednesdays, 10 a.m., (775) 220-0325

Michelle Sweeney: Wildland

Haldan Art Gallery LTCC, South Lake Tahoe, March 22-31, 11 a.m., (530) 541-4660, ltcc.edu

Incline Village Knitters Guild St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Incline Village, Wednesdays, 1 p.m., (775) 831-1418

Winter Art Show

Tahoe Art League, South Lake Tahoe, March 23-April 2, 11 a.m., (530) 544-2313, talart.org Truckee Artist Lofts Gallery Debut

Truckee Artist Loft, Truckee, April 6, 4-7 p.m., Truckee Artist Lofts on Facebook

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