Denise Nomura 
My connection to art began in childhood, inspired by my grandmother, an accomplished painter who always seemed to have a paintbrush in hand. Some of my earliest memories are of mixing colors, watching paint transform on a palette, and discovering the quiet joy of creating. Those experiences sparked a lifelong fascination with both art and the natural world.
Nature has been a constant source of inspiration throughout my life. Growing up among the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona, I spent countless hours hiking, camping, and exploring streams and open landscapes. Those early experiences instilled in me a deep sense of wonder and an enduring appreciation for the beauty, rhythm, and generosity of the natural world.
Over the past twenty years, my artistic journey has taken me from studying sumie and gansai painting techniques in Japan to working primarily in oils and acrylics in the United States. While my early work focused on representational landscapes, I gradually found myself drawn less to painting what nature looks like and more to expressing what it feels like.
I am captivated by fleeting moments that often go unnoticed, such as the movement of grasses across a hillside, sunlight filtering through leaves, or water shifting around a stone in a stream. These observations become points of fascination and reflection. Rather than documenting a place, I seek to capture its energy, atmosphere, and emotional resonance.
Through abstraction, layered color, and gestural mark-making, I explore the vibrations and rhythms that exist within nature. My paintings are not intended as literal records of a landscape, but as interpretations of the sensations, memories, and emotions that arise from being immersed in it. They are expressions of awe, inviting viewers to pause, look closely, and reconnect with the quiet beauty that surrounds us.
Art Tutelage and Shows
2026 - "Bloom, Field, Flow", Art Gallery at the Orinda Library, Orinda, CA
2024 - Solo Show at the Art Gallery at Wilder, Orinda, CA
2024 - "Stories We Tell", Group Show at the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library, Orinda, CA
2024 - "Art Passages", Arts Contra Costa County, Martinez, CA
2023 & 2024 - Student Salon Exhibition at the Phyllis Harriman Gallery, New York, NY
2022-2024 - Abstract Study with instructor, Frank O'Cain at the Art Students League, New York, NY
2019 - "Art Embraces Words", Lamorinda Arts Council, Lafayette, CA
2019 - Solo Show at the Art Gallery at Wilder, Orinda, CA
2017 - "Meditations in Nature" Exhibition at the Lindsay Wildlife Experience, Walnut Creek, CA
2012-2021 - Representational Study with instructor, Gary Bergren, Walnut Creek, CA
2009 - Sumie Group Show at the Tokyo American Club, Tokyo, Japan
2005-2010 - Sumie / Gansai with instructor, Shoko and Suiko Ohta, Tokyo, Japan
Press:
Canvas Rebel Magazine
https://canvasrebel.com/?post_types=&s=denise+nomura
The Orinda News
https://theorindanews.com/2021/03/25/library-gallery-seeking-natures-deep-calm-in-tahoe/
Instagram: @dnomura.art
Facebook: Denise Nomura, Artist
Email: [email protected]