Rebirth & Healing, an exhibition of watercolors and woodcut prints by Nancy Steele-Makasci, on display at the Sweet Branch Library through October 3, is visually enticing for gallerygoers.

In the show, the artist offers a series of vertical stripe paintings—twelve in total—whose bands of variable widths and iridescent colors, are carefully considered for greatest ocular impact. Also, she shares nine mokuhanga color woodcut prints and collages on paper, each a flashy, tight collection of loosely printed triangles, squares, trapezoids, and more. Think patchwork quilt design à la Paul Klee—loose patterns are enhanced by the strokes of a Japanese-style hake brush. “Vibrant” is one such example of an expressive mokuhanga print.

In the exhibit’s artist statement, Steele-Makasci acknowledges that she studied traditional Japanese color woodblock printing in Japan. “I was fascinated with the natural and innate qualities of watercolor.” Since her time in Japan in 2024, she has made mokuhanga prints and watercolor stripe paintings.

While there are many artists who employ the stripe motif–considered an enduring device of modern and contemporary art–Steele-Makasci’s pulsating yet delicate colors beat out a contagious rhythm, creating a beguiling dance, one that any inquisitive eye would love to join.

Well worth the optical challenge, her stripe watercolors shimmer across the paper. Each vibrant color urges the viewer to approach the work, to get in close—real close—until the eyes are inches away from the saturated, gentle weave of the paper. There, one discovers lush texture encouraged by the hardness of a watercolor pencil. The blending of colors—they seem to float on top of one another—at this close distance is very Rothko-esque.

In “Rushing Waters,” the artist has given us the best-organized crowd of contrasting colors imaginable, and her offering is a visual celebration that keeps the eye sweeping from one incredible spot on the painting to the next, climbing and descending, exploring other color fields.

There are 12 watercolor and watercolor-pencil works on display, and each is worthy of serious investigation, especially “Mirrors at Water’s Edge,” “Deep Waters,” and “Find the Path Home.” These works bring forth an intuitive joy and passion for color.

According to her bio, Steele-Makasci is an interdisciplinary visual artist and educator who makes art in a wide range of media, including reproducible print media, painting, drawing, and book arts. She continually encourages others to make art and to pursue their dreams of becoming artists in her position as Professor of Art in the Department of Art & Design at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, where she has taught courses in painting, drawing, printmaking, and art education.

Her art proves to all thoughtful observers that, for those who dig deep, the eye can do what it does best: discern. Rebirth & Healing is an inspired exhibition.

Nancy Steele-Makasci: Rebirth & Healing, Sweet Branch Library, SLC, through Oct. 3.
Images by Ben Childress.

Dave Gagon

Dave Gagon has been writing for more than 30 years, including 19 years as the visual arts writer and editor at the Deseret News in Salt Lake City. During his tenure, he reviewed the work of more than 100 artists from across Utah and received multiple writing awards from the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists. Gagon is the author of Honorable Release (Signature Books 1992), a young adult novel, children’s stories and picture books, and songs that he has written and recorded. He also pursues photography through his ongoing A.I.P.S. (Abstraction In Plain Sight) project.