When I paint, it is essential for me to experiment in subject matter, media, and style. My work may be representational or otherwise, although it usually presents itself as suggestive of the natural or organic world.

Because of its tactile and viscous quality, oil paint has tended to remain my favorite medium, although I also work in acrylic, collage, mixed media, and watercolor. I work in any or all of these media simultaneously and become involved in whichever medium and style I am currently using.

My work is focussed on color and the physical feel and look of paint.   I let the paint lead me to the story that the canvas will tell, to the location that is an abstracted landscape.  In addition to the abstracted vision that surfaces, an important goal is an intriguing composition of made of these elements: brushstroke, color areas, lines.

I was in raised amid New Hampshire’s seacoast and mountains. My travels have taken me to Alaska, Mexico and as far east as Kyoto, city of temples. Self-taught, I work primarily with forms from the natural world to create visual spaces of harmony: animals, plants, water, sand. I strive to convey the grace, strength, and fragility of life, as well as its lush vitality.

My portfolio contains both representational and abstract works.  I merge realism with slightly fantastical elements, and the concepts of beauty and playfulness are very important to me in my work. I am also fascinated with the play of light on water. My paintings are meant to create a space of refuge for the viewer.

Home now is San Francisco, where I can be found climbing hills, walking along the coastal cliffs, and painting in the amazing light. My work is held in corporate and private collections worldwide, shown in national galleries. I love what I do, and it’s my great pleasure to share it with you!

My recent paintings and photography are an investigation into indeterminate spaces that communicate time and memory. Passing of time, fleeting moments, and altered memories are feelings I attempt to capture in the abstracted images and the subtle yet luminous color field. Although my imagery and subject matter in both media offer a reinterpretation of transient experiences, the approach is opposite of another. The painting begins as an empty space that evolves into a subtle structural beauty; the photography begins as a literal image that transforms into a portrayal of atmospheric mystery.

In my painting, both content and process are derived by the very nature of the way I paint, not unlike the practice of meditation, in which one accepts and receives the present moment. Time is very much engraved in the slow ritual of applying multiple layers of paint. I lay out only one layer per day, as the paint needs time to dry. I regard each layer as a metaphor for my everyday existence, marking a passage of time. Day after day, I build up the surface until it emanates a sense of infinite space, in which time expands in depth. Patterns emerge and depth manifests gradually from an empty space. Planes shifting slightly in position reveal markings and value gradations. Ethereal and delicate, the meticulously laid out layers communicate a sense of time’s passing. 

My photography removes and distorts the concreteness of the existing objects and places, and dissolves them into obscured images. The reality is instantly altered through the lens, which displaces the subjects from their current state of being into unknown yet familiar feelings that are rooted in the viewer’s memories. Only the minimal adjustments such as exposure, contrast and color balance are done in the post-production phase. Each moment is a passage in time with a certain spirit and emotion. These images poetically capture the ephemeral nature of moments and experiences, evoking memories of faded history.

Zannah Noe is a San Francisco based artist since 1991. Originally from Concord, Massachusetts she studied art at The University of Massachusetts at Amherst and photography under Carrie Mae Weems at Hampshire College. She continued her painting studies independently with master painter, Doug Schneider.

Currently she is working on a project called American Bones that will be a three-year endeavor exploring America’s landscape and cultural identity. Funded by the crowd-sourcing site, Kickstarter.com. Noe was able to take a 5-month road trip covering 13,000 miles around the States, photographing and interviewing people and filming events.  American Bones road trip has resulted in a large body of photographs that will be published in a book in 2013. From her photographs, the artist has created the first iteration of the American Bones painting series in 2013. Eventually the work will be show together as a multi media project in 2014.