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.

The fundamental nature of my aesthetic rests in the use of simple, quiet compositions that visually communicate emotion within the precepts of narrative realism: intimate scenes of family gatherings, unusual renderings of ordinary objects, subtle glimpses of everyday life. These images are collectively reflected on stillness, solitude, and mystery, yet with an element of comfort and familiarity. My creative approach is driven by the desire to balance traditional principles of painting and contemporary design, seeking inspiration from by a variety of artistic genres and periods, including 17th Century Dutch genre paintings, 19th and 20th Century American Realism, as exemplified in the works of John Singer Sargent and Andrew Wyeth, and modern documentary photographers such as Walker Evans and Sally Mann. Specific elements of design play an integral role in the result of each painting. By way of example, careful color selection is essential in conveying the underlying mood of the composition. My Interior paintings are rendered in rich, warm colors that blend to convey a sense of intimacy and tranquility, and are reminiscent of the candlelit luminosity of Baroque paintings. Comparatively, the Gray series features gradations of blues, greens, and grays often juxtaposed with soft earth tones that collectively capture the spirit of natural environments and the gentleness of dimly lit rooms. Feelings of mystery and lucidity are conveyed in my nighttime scenes, employing a softened palette to emulate the allure of nocturnal light. Another important stylistic choice is the size and shape of the canvas. Some paintings are square-shaped, as if providing a window in which to carefully observe. Others are evocative of elongated Chinese scrolls, rendered on vertical and horizontal rectangles that lend to a panoramic view of my subject. The size of my paintings is often smaller in scale, granting an intimate setting in which people may closely observe the painting’s content and arrangement. In my effort to coalesce traditional and contemporary design practices, I strive to create works of art that retain a timeless quality while incorporating contemporary subject matter. In doing so, it is my resolve to provide viewers with visual explanations of emotion that will hopefully make for a lasting impression

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.

My work is about process with an emphasis on the organic properties of the materials I use and how they mimic nature and landscape.  With my encaustic paintings I use a vocabulary of techniques to create a space.  Ink and acrylic stain and bleed on the canvas creating a sketch.  The splatters and glazes of oil fluidly represent the effects of water and reflection.  Lines and gouges in the wax form trees.  Beeswax blends and diffuses creating atmosphere.  I do not render a landscape as much as I allow the materials to naturally create one.

The aluminum series developed from the same approach.  I began to notice the buildup of residue on the inside of the buckets I use to wash my brushes.  The patinas of paint created a beautiful gradation of color and texture.  Concurrent with these observations were my walks along the inlets of San Francisco Bay.  My painting studio rests on the shores of India Basin.  The low tides create patterns of kelp, and earth that blend into the tranquil waters.
I use aluminum and steel sheets so that I can work on a smooth and consistent surface.  The sheets are sanded, sometimes primed and submerged in several gallons of mineral spirits.  I pour oil paint into the solution and mix it until it is cloudy.  Over the period of several days the particles of oil color precipitate and leave sediment on the aluminum.   After the oil has completely separated from the mineral spirits I repeat the process with another color.  I will sometimes sand or manipulate the surface after the bath.  The painting is sealed with a protective finish and mounted on a wood substrate.

       I say on canvas and paper what cannot be put into words. I paint what remains in the mind.  

After many years of working in mezzotint, an engraving technique that requires precision and forethought, I am now exploring the realms of wax painting and abstract imagery.  Each image starts as a simple shape, assuming different permutations until the final image is achieved.  The encaustic process introduces me to a spontaneity that does not exist in my mezzotints.  The new work represents a passage both toward a new way of working, and perhaps more importantly, toward a new way of seeing.