Nancy Cox, who lives in the countryside outside of Black Earth, Wisconsin, loves to immerse herself in nature when creating, particularly in the gardens that surround her home nestled in the woods.

Cox will, starting on Friday, May 8, display several of her watercolor and oil art pieces at Carnelian Art Gallery as part of her solo exhibition, Stillness, which will last until the end of June. Stillness is all about finding calm in a time of great political (and general) upheaval. Visitors to this show are encouraged to bring headphones in order to listen to sounds and songs that correspond to each artwork in the exhibition.

Doors for the opening reception of this exhibition open at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 8. At 6 p.m., Cox will conduct a live painting demonstration that you won't want to miss. All of this is part of Gallery Night, a city-wide effort to bolster artists and art institutions organized by our friend and downtown, Madison, neighbor, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

I had the privilege of visiting Cox at her home studio in Black Earth earlier this week. She enlightened me about her artistic process and how she came to be a full-time artist.

"I was very inspired when I came out this morning, and I saw the light on the trees that I'm about to paint," she said. "It's such a soft light, but there's a lot of form created with the dark values that are in the structures of the trees and the branches. It was such a sweet, gentle quality. I love it when I see various textures."

"I'm going to start by actually wetting the paper, and this process is called wet in wet. I'm laying down a wash of water. Into the wash, I will put down the initial pigments."

In the first wash, Cox said she tries to accomplish as much as possible.

"The trick will be making sure it's completely dry before I lay in the next layer. I have the sun, so I'm going to place it in the sun. When I'm in my studio, I use a hair dryer."

When Cox was a child, she said, exciting were the trips to the Art Institute of Chicago.

"I went on to study at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. In watercolor class, our teacher would hold painting demonstrations, and the beauty of the pigments flowing into each other worked magic for me. Watercolor really is my first love. Since I am not able to go very long without a brush in my hand, the simplicity of the watercolor setup lends itself to painting anywhere. An important aspect of my practice is keeping a sketchbook, many types of sketchbooks. For years, I have documented my summers this way. I am grateful that this joyful practice has contributed to making me a better painter."

"Over the years, I have added many other media to my practice: acrylic, oil, cut paper, and collage. But no matter the medium, my first and foremost concern is strength in composition. I strive to make my statements simple and direct, celebrating and honoring what's beautiful or significant in the natural world."

Of showing at Carnelian Art Gallery, Cox said she hopes visitors will truly be able to immerse themselves in the serenity that she strives to express through her artwork.