The MNWS Fall Exhibition is our annual non-juried show, meaning that artwork is not selected through a competitive process and is open to all active members who have paid dues through May 31, 2026. The first 65 entries will be accepted. Each member is allowed one entry. We are proud to announce that our judge for this year will be Nanci Yermakoff.
Nanci Yermakoff Bio: Nanci Yermakoff studied art in New Jersey and New York City before completing her BA at the University of Minnesota with a major in studio arts. After receiving an MA in Therapeutic Recreation, also from the U of M, she worked in social services for a number of years before resuming her study of art and painting – working primarily in watercolor. She has received awards for her work from local and national watercolor societies and is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society. Her work is in numerous private and corporate collections. Yermakoff has been a featured artist in American Artist Watercolor magazine as well as Watercolor Artist magazine. She taught watercolor at the Botanical and Zoological Art and Illustration Program at the Como Conservatory in St Paul, MN and through the St Paul Public Library. Nanci Yermakoff currently lives and works in St Paul, MN. She also works in her studio in north-central Minnesota where the lakes of the north woods inspire her work. She shows her work at her studio in the Northrup King Building in NE Minneapolis and has work in local galleries and art centers.
Artist Statement: Growing up on the East Coast near the ocean and subsequently moving to the land of lakes and prairies in the Midwest, I find I am drawn to the openness, space, and light these areas have in common. A body of water, a strip of land, and lots of sky never cease to fascinate me and my eye is always drawn to the edges where the land meets the sky or is reflected in the water. I love the variety of these connections: hard-edged, diffuse, or multi-layered, depending on the light and atmosphere. The fluidity and transparency of watercolor makes it a perfect medium to explore these qualities of light, atmosphere, and connections. My Horizon watercolors walk the line between representation and abstraction and my intention is to convey the sense of these spaces rather than a literal interpretation of the landscape. I love working with color, from very subtle variations of grey to brilliant combinations of hues. I begin by layering multiple washes, typically twelve to twenty or more on each piece, to progressively build depth, intensity, and gradual transitions of color. By layering transparent pigments, I create subtle changes and gradations from wash to wash; keeping the paper wet avoids a hard edge where one color transitions to another. The ‘horizon’, in contrast, is more spontaneous and here I intend to leave evidence of the action of the blending, backruns, and flow distinctive to watercolor. Once the paper is wet, decisions must be made quickly and finding the balance between control and the magic of freely flowing pigment is the challenge for me. Website: nanciyermakoff.com