Calculating the glow
Natasha Ramras, Wind River, oil, 12 x 12.
For Natasha Ramras, living in the Pacific Northwest with easy access to nature’s bounty—rivers, beaches, forests, mountains, cliffs, waterfalls, gorge, and ocean—offers endless inspiration for her impressionistic oil, watercolor, and pastel paintings. “They’re my interpretation of reality, as I embed the joy of living in this amazingly beautiful area into each work,” the Vancouver, WA, resident says.
Ramras, who grew up along the coast of the Crimean Peninsula and studied art daily in an after-school program as a teen, is enamored with painting transparent bodies of water. Her serene, wish-you-were-there waterscapes complement her sun-dazzled scenes featuring kayakers, paddleboarders, and ocean revelers. “I’ve always been captivated by the water’s glow and the way the light plays on and beneath its surface,” she says. “I like the challenge of trying to convey its transparent clarity, sometimes with just hints of color and sometimes more boldly.
- Natasha Ramras, Sunset, oil, 18 x 24.
- Natasha Ramras, Mountains, oil, 24 x 36.
- Natasha Ramras, Sentinels, oil, 24 x 12.
“My favorite artist is Ted Christensen, an impressionist modern master at keeping landscapes looking realistic,” she continues. “Yet, once you’re nearer to the canvas, you see there’s not the precision and detail you initially observed; they’re more of a hint. I’d one day like to get closer to this painting ideal of color, composition, values, edges, and brush strokes.”
Ramras’ own impressive talent continues to garner attention, as three of her oils—her preferred medium—were recently included in the American Impressionist Society’s 22nd Annual National Juried Exhibition, 2021 Online Associate Member Exhibition, and 2nd Annual All Member Online Exhibition. She’s focused on continually upping her skills and is currently enrolled in the atelier program at Portland’s Pacific Northwest College of Art. “Every few years, I like to revisit drawing principles, as they’re the underpinning of my paintings,” she says.
- Natasha Ramras, Gleaming Ocean, oil, 12 x 12.
- Natasha Ramras, Coastal Drama, oil, 24 x 36.
- Natasha Ramras, Neskowin Sunset, oil, 18 x 24.
And, although she’s fairly new to the plein-air movement in the Vancouver/Portland area, Ramras embraces the outdoors when the weather and her busy work schedule permit. She’s the chief financial officer for the city of Vancouver, and painting serves an integral purpose in her life. “Because I’m primarily engaging just one side of my brain in my numeric-driven job, I actually need art,” the artist says philosophically. “For me, painting is like a form of meditation.” —Beth Williams
representation
www.ramrasart.com.
This story appeared in the December 2021/January 2022 issue of Southwest Art magazine.