Twice upon a time

“Dorothy”
24” x 30” graphite, charcoal, colored pencil, alcohol ink, acrylic and embellishments, 2023, uses the narrative of Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz” to explore the theme of confronting change

Renowned for her unconventionally rendered fairy tale depictions, Grace Netanya has evolved in her portrayals of women as the heroines and villains of their stories.

She brings a sequel of sorts to NOMA Gallery, which owner Lisa Midgett describes as a departure from Netanya’s December 2021 “Fables” exhibit at the Ocala space. The pieces are even more psychologically intriguing this time around

Netanya’s “Fables: The Next Chapter” runs through May 25 at NOMA. In the exhibit, Netanya again portrays herself as a storyteller whose art combines contemporary and traditional ideas to fuse the avant-garde and introspective.

“Victory”
Colored pencil on Bristol board, 2022, conveys artist Grace Netanya’s belief that victory is a psychological, rather than physical reality and can be achieved through maintaining hope and emotional strength

As with her previous show at NOMA, Netanya uses graphite, marker, and colored pencils to illustrate an alternate realm that incorporates recognizable elements of our own everyday lives. Her materials, like her narratives, blend contemporary and classical elements. Her ambiguous settings remind the viewer that fables are universal and timeless.

This time around, we see more experimentation with color and design elements in her work. She creates fanciful, alluring frames around her subjects and offers other new twists.

Before earning her BFA in art history, Netanya was homeschooled and raised in Southeast Ocala. Her family moved a few times, and now she now lives in Port Orange. Her younger siblings have acting experience and lend their expressiveness to some of the artist’s most striking portraits.

She has won many awards, such as The Copic Award Grand Prize 2019, Martha Vineyard’s drawing prize first place, and, most recently, Boyne’s Emerging Artist Prize 2022 second place.

NOMA Gallery is at 939 N. Magnolia Ave., Ocala. Visit nomaocala.com for more details.