Artist insights, creative techniques, suggested art supplies, and guided exercises for February 2026
by Fran Nagy and Elizabeth Ragona. © 2026 Alabama Art Supply.

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Familiarity is connecting and grounding.

Although the sky, clouds and people around us are ever-changing there is a sense of familiarity. It is this expected return of the Seasons and repetition of the life cycle that grounds us and gives us meaning.

February invites you to work this way: not chasing a final image but allowing one to emerge through rhythm and accumulation.

This month’s practice centers on personal connection —not symbols with universal definitions, but forms that gain meaning because you keep coming back to them. A shape that feels grounding. A line that suggests movement. A figure that becomes a presence rather than a portrait.

In the work of Fran Nagy, we see how repetition creates both individuality and belonging. Figures appear again and again, similar but never identical. They stand alone yet feel part of something larger. This balance—between singular meaning and collective rhythm—is at the heart of March’s exploration.

Repetition as Discovery

Repetition in artwork is often misunderstood as sameness, yet we as humans are aware that we are not the same . In practice, it’s one of the fastest ways to learn individuality.

When you repeat a form or symbol, the goal isn’t to make it identical each time—it’s to notice what changes without your asking. A line grows heavier. A shape stretches. Space opens or tightens. Color and light reflect the changes in the seasons and the weather. Your hand remembers something your mind hasn’t named yet.

Repetition turns making into listening.

As you return to the same familiarity again and again, it stops being an idea and starts becoming a presence. Meaning it doesn’t arrive all at once—it reveals itself through use. What felt decorative becomes intentional. What felt uncertain becomes familiar.
Let repetition be a form of inquiry rather than control.

Form, Presence & Space

Form is not only about shape—it’s about the composition of how something occupies space.

As symbols familiar connections multiply, their relationship to the page or surface begins to tell a story. Does the subject feel anchored or floating? Crowded or isolated? Are there pauses where the eye can rest?

Presence isn’t created by adding more—it’s often created by leaving room.
Negative space isn’t empty; it’s active. It gives your story somewhere to exist, somewhere to breathe. The quiet areas of a piece can carry as much meaning as the marks themselves, especially when you allow them to remain unresolved.

Notice where your subject feels the strongest—and where silence does more work than detail.

Assembly and Connection

Assembly is the moment when individual explorations come together—not to explain themselves, but to relate. Grouping, layering, or arranging forms becomes an act of recognition rather than decision-making. You begin to see how parts belong together without forcing them.

This is where art starts to feel composed, repetition with intention.

When familiar connections are assembled thoughtfully, they hold memory, movement, and meaning all at once, honoring what has already emerged.

Trust the structure that reveals itself. The connection is already there.

Much of this month’s exploration echoes ideas present in the work of Fran Nagy herself. Reflecting on her practice, she writes:

“My art explores the emotional and psychological space where belonging meets identity. I investigate how humans seek connection in an increasingly individualistic society, and what we lose when we sever our ties to community, ancestry, and shared purpose. Through textures, and materials found in nature, like feathers and leaves, I aim to evoke the connection to earth and the memory of the village where the unspoken trust and inherited wisdom are gained.”

Repetition, in this context, becomes more than a visual device—it becomes a way of growing beyond the individual. Assembly becomes a gathering of the tribe. Figures, when repeated and arranged, begin to resemble communities in connection rather than isolated forms.

The work doesn’t ask to be decoded. It asks to be felt—as presence, as belonging, as shared space.

Reflection:

If you were to assemble a visual “village” from your work—symbols, textures, or materials that feel familiar—what would belong there, and what memories or connections would they carry? How might repeating and assembling them turn your work into an act of remembering?

Suggested Products (February, Week 5–8)

WEEK 5: One Object, One Symbol

Focus: Observation & Simplification

• Sketchbook / Mixed Media Paper – for flexible explorations
• Graphite pencils – range of hardness (H–B)
• Fine-line pens (Micron / Ink Pens) – for clean symbol marks
• Charcoal or Graphite Sticks – for expressive mark-making

WEEK 6: Repetition as Discovery

Focus: Repeating & Variation

• Marker Set / Brush Pens – different weights for variety
• Colored Pencil Set – soft and richly pigmented
• Mixed Media Paper – holds multiple layers and mediums
• Drawing Board or Clip – stabilizes paper for longer sessions

WEEK 7: Form, Presence & Space

Focus: Composition & Negative Space

• Larger Sketchbook Pad – allows breathing space
• Erasers (Kneaded & Vinyl) – for refining shapes
• Ruler & Viewfinder Tool – helps with placement and spacing
• Soft Pastels or Chalks – for tonality and space emphasis

WEEK 8: Let the Symbol Speak

Focus: Reducing & Refining

• Minimal Palette Paints (Watercolor / Acrylic Tubes) – limit color choices
• Small Round Brushes – for subtle edge control
• Palette Tray – for controlled mixing
• Blending Tools (Stumps / Tortillons) – for softer transitions

TRY IT NOW: Symbols, Space & Assembly

February 2026 Studio Notes Exercise Guide

Inspired by the work of Fran Nagy

February explores how meaning emerges through connections, how form creates presence, and how assembling work can become a quiet story. These exercises invite you to work with natural found objects over time—allowing them to shift, multiply, and eventually come together.

There is no rush toward resolution. Let each week build gently on the last. What you notice matters more than what you finish.

WEEK 5: Object Found in Nature

What

Choose simple objects, shape, or form from your everyday environment. Translate it into a story by simplifying it into lines, shapes, or silhouettes.

Why

Stories often begin as ordinary things. By reducing an object to its essential form, you begin separating meaning from representation—opening space for interpretation and intuition.

How

• Select objects to work with that are falt and can be incorporated in a 2D collage
• Leaves are great because they constantly change as they go through the life cycle process. Imperfections become points of interest.  
• Consider the stage of it’s cycle and it’s color. Is it spring, summer, fall or winter
• Use this stage as an inspiration and a guide for when your story occurs
  

Reminder: An object will explain itself if you can imagine how it came to be.

WEEK 6: Repetition as Discovery

What

There is no right or wrong sky or cloud as they are ever-changing. We see what we want to see. We can imagine seeing shapes that are familiar to us. Painting the sky, clouds and landscapes can be itself a rewarding process. 

Why

Repetition reveals variation. As your hand repeats a form, subtle differences appear—shifts that carry information about movement, emotion, and attention.

How

• Put some music on and dance while applying paint across the canvas
• Change size, spacing, or orientation
• Allow overlaps or partial forms
• Work fluidly rather than intentional
• If you love it STOP there!
  

Reminder: Let repetition teach you something new about a familiar mark and project your energy into the movements of your brush. 

WEEK 7: Form, Presence & Space

What

Now that you have your background. Create a composition where space plays an equal role to form. Consider how your collected item will connect- occupy—or leave—areas of the page.

Why

Presence isn’t created only by what you add. Space gives form its weight, rhythm, and breath. Your brush movements will project your unbeknownst energy. Quiet areas often offer the viewer a moment to ponder.

How

• Take a snapshot of your canvas and use an electronic drawing tool to draft your ideas.  
• Tape your objects where you intend them to be in your story
• Consider how you will incorporate them into a composition
• Once painted use a medium to apply or glue your object to the painting.

Reminder: Cover the back and the front of your object with the medium.

WEEK 8: Let the Object Speak

What

Refine or reduce your objects and subjects until only what feels essential remains.

Why

Editing isn’t about improvement—it’s about listening. As the incorporated objects merge into your ideas, they often ask for less, not more and sometimes are a suttle surprise 

How

• What is your story?
• What else can you do or tone down that tells your story effectively.
• Stop when the piece feels resolved.
  

Reminder: Effectiveness often arrives through restraint. Remember less is more.

End of the Month Activity

Ritual & Assembly Art Supplies

Focus: Bringing It Together

• Mixed Media Paper/ Canvas Panel – sturdy support for layers
• Acrylic Gel Medium (Matte or Gloss Gel) – for adhesion & texture
• Paint Knives – short bursts of mark-making and layering
• Collage Elements Pack – found paper, ephemera for assembly
• Adhesive (Glue Sticks / Matte Medium) – archival safe mounting

Ritual & Assembly Exercise

What

Keep the objects you have gathered in boxes or a leaf press such as a book. You can pull them out and use them for inspiration and color choices. I have a box of feathers and leaves that I have collected and friends have given me. I use them to choose my color palate. 

Why

Always have gel or liquid medium on hand. Assembly of objects requires some thought for them to be archivable. You have put a lot of time and effort into the work and you want it to last, especially if you sell it. When pieces come together, they tell your story and carry forth your energy. 

How

• Use Artist Quality Materials!
• Gel and liquid mediums are great for adhering found or AI generated elements
• Apply an archival top coat like varnish, wax or resin
  

Reminder: We make art because we have something to say. Tell your story as best as you can!

⭐ Share Your Process

Trying the exercises? Finished or not, your process matters.

We’d love to see what you’re working on. Share your piece on social media and tag @AlabamaArtSupply or use #StudioNotesAAS so we can follow along.

Final Thought

We expend energy to make movements with any art medium. That energy can sometimes be seen and for many viewers can be felt. Believe in yourself and tell your story as best as you can. Your stories are always evolving.

Featured Artist Connection

This Studio Notes art blog is inspired by the work and approach of a featured artist at Alabama Art Supply. Visit the artist’s feature to explore their work, background, and creative perspective in more depth.

→ Meet the Featured Artist: Fran Nagy

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