Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Monk.
Hi Nancy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I always wanted to be an artist as far as I can remember. I was born in Minnesota and I had an Aunt and Uncle there that lived in a modern house with Alvar Aalto furniture and paintings and sculptures that were done by my Dentist/Artist Uncle. It was there that I was exposed to Scandinavian Design. They and my parents encouraged my creativity and curiosity. We moved around a lot, from the middle of the country to the east coast and to the west coast and then to Colorado where I attended college. I eventually picked sculpture as a major because I loved the physical aspect of it and also it meant to me that I could work in any media or concentration. I welded a large forest of trees made from giant truck hoods. When I moved back to Minneapolis, I welded a city of abstracted buildings.
After that I moved into a small studio room overlooking the Mississippi River. I began making small scale work which I found to my liking. As a child, I collected miniature things and I loved looking through microscopes at a small world that seemed to me to be so expansive. Prior to that, I had a studio in the glass blowing shop. I was studying Scandinavian art history and I loved the idea of designing and working with a glassblower. I began designing glass vessels and my work was excepted in a major exhibition sponsored by the Corning Glass Museum. The exhibition opened at the Smithsonian Museum and traveled to London, Tokyo, Paris and New York. When I moved to Pasadena, I continued to work in glass and various media and do installations and exhibitions. I also have designed exterior designs for architecture in Venice, CA. I have been exhibiting at the Craig Krull Gallery in Santa Monica for several years.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Yes the challenges made that road a little bumpy and winding. That same road has been smooth in that it has given me much joy and peace.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the moment, I have several series going. I am painting primarily 12″ x 9″ paintings that I stitch on and glue fabric on as well as paint. They are walkers of all types. I do a lot of walking especially during covid lockdown. Walking has always been a type of solace for me. In my paintings, trees walk, abstract shapes walk, and boats walk. I am also making very small paintings on blocks of walnut wood. I study the grain and the texture and work with the wood to create a landscape or a still-life or a mars landing. I don’t use a lot of color. Sometimes I only use one color for a while and then I use another. I mostly use variations of primary colors.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I can juggle.
Contact Info:
- Website: nancymonk.com
- Instagram: nancy_monk
Image Credits:
Image of me by Emma Fuller-Monk
