I had been making pencil and pen and ink drawings using tiny marks for many years when I discovered scratchboard and fell in love with the medium. It was perfect for the kind of fine, detailed, markings I was making.
Scratchboard is a subtractive medium that uses a variety of sharp tools to remove a black layer of ink, exposing a white layer beneath. I work in black and white and sometimes add color. On occasion, I employ the ancient art of gold leaf, which adheres perfectly to the scratchboard surface.
I have created several series, mostly on scratchboard, but I also work with ink, monoprints, and acrylics on a variety of materials—including paper, canvas, and glass. Early on, my work was abstract, then changed to be more realistic and impressionistic. I find myself drawn to the depiction of nature—landscapes, flowers, oceans, and also animals. No matter the subject, it is the mark-making itself that allows me to enter a private inner world, exposing the pain and beauty of daily life. I am led by my art and trust my intuition. I find both the physical (hand\eye) act of mark-making and the mental process spiritual and meditative.
As everyone has a distinctive way of expressing themselves, so do I.
My art brings the private me—my inner life—to the outside world, and shows how mark-making, my love of minute details and my fascination with the “ordinary,” makes both me and my art unique.
Nancy Wolitzer 
hi Nancy……love your work……having been a calligrapher since 1982 and specializing in illumination i am very much into extreme detail so your work is very attractive and exciting to me for want of a better word….i find the scratchboard is very meditative and puts me in a very calm and peaceful space….thanks, Marvin
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Hi Marvin, Thanks so much for your very kind comment. I also find scratchboard, the process itself, very meditative. And thank you for becoming a follower.
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Hi—
You had said you liked my posts and planned to come back for more. The feeling is mutual: I find your style unique and compelling—even when it’s depicting something with subtlety. I am now your newest follower.
Cheers,
Annir
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Hi Annie, Thanks so much for becoming a follower. That is flattering and very much appreciated. Nancy
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Nancy, your work is very inspiring. I’ll be looking forward to seeing more. Thank you for sharing your artwork!
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Michael, Thank you very much for your kind words. Nancy
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What do I think? I think you are amazing! I’m so glad you commented on my blog so that I came back and looked at more of your work. I think I am going to find lots of inspiration here.
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I am drawn to your beautiful work. So glad I found your blog!
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Thank you Laura. And thank you again for liking my post and piece Yet Again and becoming a follower. Your photographs on your site are beautiful.
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You create beautifully.
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Thanks so much. Your kind words are very much appreciated.
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Nancy your scratchboard birds are beautiful. I feel I may be stuck in a rut with my bird renderings, perhaps I should try scratchboard….. but have no idea!
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Thank you, Angie. I looked at your bird drawings and they are just gorgeous! I fell in love with working with scratchboard so if you have not tried it I would recommend it.–Nancy
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Your work is really beautiful!! So glad to have found you here in the blogosphere. Looking forward to your updates too.
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Thank you very much for your kind words and for following my blog. I am glad you found me here too and I will now go and visit your site. I love how this all comes together!
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WordPress is a wonderful thing! :). You’re quite welcome.
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You do excellent work !!
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Thanks so much!
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