installed

It's up! It took 72 nails, 300 binder clips, 100 feet of wire, and 5 hours of labor, but it's up!

Here's my artist statement, which accompanies the installation:

I liken my art making to solving a puzzle: each piece I create challenges me to work out the “right” arrangement of materials, color, texture, and composition. Finding a combination that satisfies me is often quite a puzzling endeavor, but one which always offers the occasion to stretch my imagination.

What I love about collage is the opportunity to work with both traditional and non-traditional media. I enjoy experimenting with various elements, including paper and paint, as well as found objects, such as tea bags, bottle caps and rusty hardware. It thrills me to discover the beauty in a broken piece of plastic, for example, and by incorporating it in a collage, transform trash into art.

While I work with various-sized collages, I have been enchanted with the format of the Artist’s Trading Card or A.C.E.O. (Art Card Editions and Originals). Measuring precisely 3 ½ x 2 ½ inches, this size provides a very intimate form of visual interaction between the viewer and myself.

This installation of three hundred art cards plays with proportion, combining the intimacy of each individual piece with the format of a large-scale grid. The effect is meant to strike viewers from a distance, while simultaneously drawing them in to explore each unique collage.

I believe that art is a collaborative endeavor between artist and viewer; “meaning” is created by the interaction of the work of art and the one observing it. This particular installation is especially interactive, as viewers are invited to remove pieces that they purchase, leaving gaps in the rows. In this way, viewers participate in the art process by changing the layout of the grid during the course of the evening.

Originally hailing from California, Nancy now resides in Durango, where she is encouraged and inspired by its vibrant arts community.