Nancy likens silk painting to guitar playing…you can learn a few simple chords and make some nice songs (paintings), or learn the medium in depth and play a symphony, using everything you’ve learned, be it color notes, composition, transitions and more. Silk painting is a very user- friendly medium and it inspires Nancy with its endless possibilities, delightful transparency and strong vibrant color. It is an exploration every time she picks up a brush and she celebrates the process as much as the end result.

Nancy generally begins with a simple sketch, be it a value sketch or line drawing, which she transfers onto the silk. She brings everything she knows about making art to the table. She uses fluid silk dyes, long handle brushes, clear and gold resist, and gradually builds up many layers painting from light to dark, using salt as a texture enhancer. Sometimes it takes many, many layers to achieve the rich dark values, whereas a sky may take one only a minute.

Nancy is a professional artist and has studied with numerous artists over the years in both watercolor and oil painting. She has been silk painting for 24 years and is self-taught in that medium. All the years of practicing watercolor techniques have served her well, and she is now included in many museum shows and galleries. Nancy has received some very nice awards, but the reward she loves best is having people respond to her work, which many claim brings them joy.