Artist Spotlight - Nancy J. McLaughlin — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Dec 21

Dec 21 Artist Spotlight - Nancy J. McLaughlin

Biography

Nancy was born in Columbus Ohio in 1954. At a very young age she was drawn to the wildest place near home; a remote ravine owned by the Ohio State School for the Blind. It was the most captivating scene in her world, and the subject of her first oil painting on a small canvas board, “The Place”. So began her journey to create paintings and connect to the energy in nature; a sanctuary away from the noise and confusion of human activity.

Blue Vase with Empty Bottle / 2024 / acrylic on canvas / 127 x 137 cm

In 1976 Nancy earned a BFA in painting and creative writing at Bowling Green State University. Just out of college, she won an honorable mention in graphics at the Toledo Art Fair, and was included in the Toledo Art Museum Exhibition in 1977. She moved to Tucson Arizona and worked as a substitute art teacher, where she became acquainted with the delights of hiking in the high country of the Santa Rita and Catalina Mountains.

Creek Crossing / 2024 / acrylic on canvas / 102 x 102 cm

She left Arizona for Seattle to find better paying work, and became a locomotive engineer for Burlington Northern Railroad. From 1980 until her retirement in 2014, she remained devoted to her painting practice while experiencing the Northwest from the unique and challenging perspective of the driver’s seat of a freight train.

Homage / 2024 / acrylic on canvas / 102 x 102 cm

Over the years Nancy has taken full advantage of the surrounding Cascade and Olympic Mountains. Hiking, backpacking, and skiing have led to observations and experiences in the backcountry that resonate in her paintings. Her work is influenced and inspired by many artists and techniques, including Emily Carr and the Canadian Group of Seven, abstract expressionism, and urban street art.

Red Off the Rails / 2024 / acrylic on canvas / 102 x 102 cm

Her paintings have won numerous awards over the years and are in many private collections, including Microsoft. She has been invited to exhibit in solo, group, juried and museum shows, as well as art fairs in San Francisco, Santa Fe, Seattle, and Palm Beach. Nancy currently paints at her home studio and divides her time between Prescott, in northwestern Arizona, and Copalis Beach, on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.

Hidden Charms / 2023 / acrylic and colored pencil on canvas / 102 x 102 cm

Artist Statement

The purpose of my work is to conjure up the perceptions of childhood. The act of painting a picture is, in essence, an innocent and childlike act of blind faith. As children we sensed, with an uncorrupted consciousness, that the universe is infinitely marvelous. When our awareness comes from a place of wonder and discovery, our experience becomes extraordinary.

Shadowed Canyon / 2024 / acrylic and colored pencil on canvas / 91 x 91 cm

I work primarily with acrylic paint on canvas, often integrating gestural acrylic pen and colored pencil marks. I enjoy the challenge of working within the tension that develops between the abstract and representational. The physical energy that emerges in the brushwork, mark-making, and vibrant color palette is at the core of my expression.

Incoming Tide / 2023 / acrylic on canvas / 86 x 76 cm

Within this process I can transform familiar or literal images into my own whimsical creations. My best work invites the viewer to experience an immediate and dynamic connection with the beauty and complexity of our surroundings.

nancyjmclaughlin.com

@nancyjmclaughlin