The Beautiful World of Kent Nordby

It's hard not to be inspired by scenes of the Pacific Northwest, not to mention those we are blessed with here in the Magic Skagit. These are the subjects of many of Kent Nordby's paintings. I had the opportunity to interview the artist at a "meet & greet" at Beaver Tales Coffee & Tea in La Conner, the town that Kent calls home. A number of his works are currently on display at the coffee shop crossroads of Skagit Valley cultures.
Here's a little bio on Kent from his website, www.kentnordby.com
"I began painting quite by accident back in December, 2013, having been gifted some left-over art supplies from my mother after she took an oil painting class. One rainy afternoon while stuck indoors and with nothing else to do, I set up the easel and painted my first picture. I had no idea what I was doing, and the painting wasn’t good, but I enjoyed the experience and something about it intrigued me, so I kept on going. My second painting was worse than the first, but I actually liked my third painting, and suddenly I believed that if I kept working at it, I could eventually create some beautiful works of art. From that point on, I have been painting continuously up to the present day."
"I took a couple classes at first, but otherwise I am self-taught. My early inspiration came from Impressionist painters such as Van Gogh and Monet, whose works I copied with varying degrees of success (and failure). I also enjoyed painting Mediterranean scenes using photo references, typically featuring vivid blues and greens. Over time, my work has become focused on the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and my style has evolved to incorporate my original impressionist inspirations with a more realist look."
"A native of Seattle, I moved north to Fidalgo Island back in 2017. My immediate environs, especially the Skagit Valley, North Cascades, and San Juan Islands, provide unlimited inspiration. I could easily spend the rest of my life depicting these amazing landscapes on canvas and indeed, that is what I plan on doing. As of July, 2022, I will be focused on painting full-time, so I expect the coming year to be a period of artistic growth, learning and productivity. Needless to say, I couldn’t be more excited!"