Nancy Dirubbo - Oil Painter

 

Growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I was immersed in a rich artistic and cultural environment from an early age. My mother introduced me to a wide range of arts and crafts—from loom potholders and gimp roller skate key holders to knitting, sewing, and rug hooking. As I grew older, friends shared their skills with me, teaching me to crochet, quilt, and paint. I remain deeply grateful to those who generously gave their time and creativity to inspire and teach me.

After a long and fulfilling professional career in health care, I now focus fully on my lifelong passion for art. I paint in the style of traditional realism and have studied with artists Elizabeth Robbins, Shanna Kunz, John MacDonald, and Todd Bonita. I work primarily in oils, using light and color to evoke serenity in still lifes and dynamic energy in landscapes. I am especially fascinated by the art and science of color.

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I paint from my home studio in Gilmanton, NH, and plein air paint wherever I can. My work is influenced by the beauty of the Lakes Region of NH, the coast of Maine, and the many accomplished (and often unsung) artists I’ve met along the way. My travels through France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Lithuania, the Azores, Cuba, Kenya, Finland, Sweden, and the Dominican Republic have also enriched my perspective. I studied at a French art school in the Limousin and had the unforgettable experience of painting plein air in the same Creuse Valley locations as Monet.

Though I am deeply inspired by landscape, I am especially drawn to still life. In a world that is anything but still. Still life painting offers a moment of pause—inviting reflection, grounding us in the present, and offering a deeper understanding of the world around and within us. Landscapes, in contrast, help ground me—translating outdoor observation into contemplative mood and connection.

I am a member of Oil Painters of America and Artistic Roots. My work has been exhibited at the Belknap Mill and Frates Canal Street Studio in Laconia, NH; VynnArt Gallery in Meredith, NH; the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery in Portsmouth, NH; and the Boothbay Region Art Foundation Gallery in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.​

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