Hillside Home

"Hillside Home", acrylic on canvas, 16" x 12"

One of my collectors commissioned me to do a portrait of his home in the Oakland Hills. It was a pleasure painting this beautiful house with its lovely palette of soft greens, peachy golds and natural wood elements. The Japanese maple in the front yard gave me a good excuse to use my favorite red-violets, and the eucalyptus grove across the street cast a pretty pattern of cool shadows.

Sunny Market Flowers

"Sunny Market Flowers", acrylic on canvas, 12" x 12"

I painted this today at the Brentwood Farmers' Market. I love the energy and the friendly spirit of the market, and my goal is to capture that feeling in my paintings. This flower booth was so glorious I decided to dive right into color with no preliminary drawing. Quite a departure for me, and very fun!

Pink and Green Italianate

"Pink and Green Italianate", acrylic on wood, 8" x 6"

Here's a new one in my "Architectural Gems" series focusing on historic homes in Alameda, California. I love the pastel colors of the beautiful Italianate, probably dating from the early 1900's. This painting will be in the "Miniatures" area at the Scene on the Strait, coming up August 8, 10 am to 5pm at the Martinez Regional Shoreline Park. The Scene on the Strait is a fun, family-friendly outdoor festival with lots of great art to enjoy, live music, gourmet food and wine. Come check it out!

Turquoise Victorian

"Turquoise Victorian", acrylic on wood, 8" x 6"

Just finished this new one in my "Architectural Gems" series, focusing on the many beautiful historic homes in Alameda, California.   I'll have this one in the Miniatures area at the Scene on the Strait coming up on August 8 in Martinez (unless it sells before then.)  The Scene on the Strait is always a fun, family-friendly event, with lots of great art to enjoy.  I hope to see you there!

Sutter Creek Inn

"Sutter Creek Inn", acrylic on canvas, 12" x 12"

Painted this yesterday in Sutter Creek, a beautiful historic town in the heart California's Gold Country. The owner of the inn graciously allowed my friend Wendy Rogers and me to set up on her shady lawn to paint her lovely building and garden. A delightful day!

New drawing class for adults and teens in Brentwood

Piggy poses with his portrait (sketch by Nancy Roberts)



If you've always wanted to learn to draw, or if it's been a while and you'd like to brush up your skills, check out this fun new Summer class:

The Joy of Drawing: Intro and Refresher (Adults and Teens age 13 and up)  Come discover -- or rediscover -- the pleasure of drawing! In this supportive and encouraging class you'll build your skills and confidence with projects that focus on observation, linework, light and shadow, three-dimensional form, perspective, composition and more. Along the way you'll learn techniques for working with pencil, pen, charcoal and pastel to enhance realism and add creative expression to your work. All materials will be provided in class. A $10 materials fee is payable to the instructor on the first day. Instructor: Nancy Roberts. Fee: $75 (4 weeks)  Sundays, July 12 - August 2, 2:00 - 4:00 pm.

Click here to see the full schedule of my classes for children, teens and adults at the Delta Gallery this Summer.

Delta Gallery is located at 2485 Sand Creek Rd., Suite 128 in the Streets of Brentwood Shopping Center. To register for a class call the gallery at (925) 516-5935 to reserve your spot, then pay in person before the class begins.


"Rasa", charcoal sketch by Nancy Roberts

Special (new version)

"Special", acrylic on canvas, 6" x 6"

This cute little trolley is on display at the National City Depot near San Diego.  I first created this painting last Fall, but this week I decided to give it a make-over with fresh new colors and a sturdy set of wheels.  (Several astute Facebook friends observed that the old version had no wheels.  We all decided it must be a hovercraft.)  I'm much happier with this new version -- it feels more like me!

(Here's the old version.)