Nicasio

Nicasio belongs to a new body of work by Elana Bowsher in which the artist works with oil and oil pastel on cardboard. Drawn to the material for its absorbency, Bowsher uses cardboard as a support because it draws excess oil from the surface of the drawing, producing a distinctly matte finish. She was also drawn to the modest scale and portability of the cardboard panels, taking them on road trips throughout Northern California as she developed this series.

While Bowsher's practice has long been rooted in abstraction, these recent works take landscape as their point of departure. Nicasio is named after the small town in Northern California near where the artist grew up. Working en plein air, Bowsher looked to the example of the Nabis, whose intimate, portable paintings dissolved direct observation into memory, atmosphere, and sensation. Rather than describing a specific place, the work reflects an engagement with the experience of landscape through color, gesture, and light.

The work is presented in a custom walnut artist's frame.

Year: 2026

Material: Oil and oil pastel on cardboard in artists walnut frame

Dimensions: W 18 ½  x D 1 ¾ H 7 ½ in