SHIRLEY NOOTBAAR
Shirley Nootbaar has lived in Northern California since 1962. A third generation Californian, she grew up in the southern part of the state, attended Occidental College for two years, and had three years of experience as a technical illustrator working for Douglas Aircraft and Trend Engineering. Besides selected art classes at U.S.C., and U.C.L.A., and Chouinard Art Institute, she has also studied with Rex Brandt, George Post, Michael Green, Jade Fon Woo, Marie McDonnell Roberts.
She received her B.F.A. in illustration from California College of Arts and Crafts in 1981 and is presently a free lance artist-illustrator. Her illustrations have appeared on numerous brochures, greeting cards and books, and she has taught watercolor and location painting for the Acalanes Adult Center. Her watercolor paintings are in residential collections both in the area and out of the state. She is married and has her studio in Walnut Creek.
Rustic rural landscapes and the sculptured hills and valleys of the area are favorite themes in works by Shirley Nootbaar, although she also enjoys painting the colorful shapes and busy patterns found in nearby ranches and towns. She has the unique skill of transforming ordinary scenes with lively technique and dramatic presentation, making her work more than just a reflection of the subject.
"I want my work to attract the viewer into, not only enjoying the design and color that can be achieved with the medium, but also set a stage, create a mood, tell a story, and stimulate the imagination. I would like the viewer to escape for a few moments and hopefully feel a unique and pleasurable experience."