Nancy Holzhauser and Alan Work

November 22nd 2025 at 2:00p

at O’Brien Memorial library, 51771 Blue River Drive, Blue River, OR 97413

Gallery Wall and Art Talk

Nancy Holzhauser

Although I worked as a field ecologist, I drew and painted most of my life. I closed my business in 2015 and was getting back into painting when I was hit with a dis-ease that affected my eyes, and I thought I wasn’t going to be able to see again. It took me 4 years to crawl out of the depths of the depths. Slowly I started painting again. But with a totally different approach: I was alive, I survived, I can see, I am healed and life is beautifully messy! I learned to surrender, have an open heart, and receive from all that is around me. This is how I live now, this is how I paint now. I don’t have a consistent style. I cannot live in a box anymore. I start a painting with pure emotional response to what is going on inside of me. I have no idea what will emerge. It is glorious. And healing, and meditative. I keep receiving surprises on the canvas. My paintings are about release, the energies I feel in nature, sensuality, wonder, joy, the marvels of geology, and the power of a place. You can follow me on Instagram at “nancyholzhauser”

Alan Work

I am a painter in acrylics and a printmaker doing fine art silkscreen printing (serigraphs). I grew up in Cleveland Ohio where I studied art and design at Cooper School of Art. After graduating from art school I worked as a graphic artist, and taught art and design at Cooper School of Art and California State University, Long Beach. My art is a reflection on a place or moment of time in nature, how light creates a mood and illuminates the shapes and colors. I am drawn to the complexity of textures and the subtleties of pattern in a landscape. Although I lean towards realism in style, I strive more to express the feeling I experienced than to portray every detail. Acrylic painting allows me to apply paint directly onto the canvas, as solid colors or in glazes. Serigraph printing is a process of constructing a picture, building up layer by layer in opaque and transparent ink, which is a more contemplative approach to art. You can follow me on Instagram at “alanwork”

We work out of our studios in Rainbow Oregon. Check out our website: chickadeewoodsstudios.com.