"I OFTEN RETURN TO DRAWING FROM OBSERVATION, BUT MY CURRENT WORKING PROCESS INVOLVES COLOR STUDIES. IN MY STUDY PROCESS, THE 'IMAGE' OF THE PAINTING DEVELOPS OUT OF THE COLOR WORK, NOT COLOR AFTER DRAWING."
Jill Nathanson’s luminous abstract works explore pure color interaction, in an effort to capture what she calls the “active life” of color. Born and raised in New York City, Nathanson studied at LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Bennington College, where she was influenced by Color Field painting. Nathanson earned an MFA from Hunter College in 1982.
Nathanson's approach to abstraction combines the dynamics of color with complex, associative readings, resulting in layered, richly hued works. For the past two decades, Nathanson has used pigmented acrylic pours on panel, creating compositions that balance unpredictability with structured intention.
Her works have been shown at institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Sheldon Art Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska; Columbia Museum of Art, South Carolina; Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock; and the Museum of Contemporay Art, Jacksonville, among others.