Nancy Stainton
Honoring my Elders
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Nancy has been creating works of art since she was 8. She studied Fine Arts at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. Her work has won numerous awards in shows throughout the United States.
Tell us about yourself and background. I started drawing faces when I was 8 years old. My favorite subjects were elderly Chinese men with lots of wrinkles. I also started drawing portraits of Native Americans at an early age, which was influenced by living in the Western and South Western US. I began experimenting with pen and ink, and acrylics and learned basics about value. Later on, I studied fine art at the University of Colorado, Boulder, however I earned a Math degree. After graduating, I began my career in software engineering, but throughout my 38+ year career, I continued to create art and enter shows. I first started with pastels over 30 years ago and have had a passion for them ever since. Since my retirement two years ago, I have been able to focus more on my life’s true passion: art. |
New Orleans Girls
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The Three Sisters
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Tell us about your work. My present work is a culmination of the different medias I have utilized prior. My work focuses on vibrant colors, strong lines and a good sense of value. Technically, I try to produce high quality, high-contrast work, to evoke thought and emotion. I would describe my style as semi-realistic, with impressionistic backgrounds and strong-lined accents. My primary subject matter tends to be indigenous peoples, people with character and endangered or wild animals. |
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What makes your work unique? Technically, my work is a unique combination of realism, impressionism and line. I focus on showing the incredible beauty, love, compassion and innocence in my subjects, which brings out each subject’s own uniqueness. I work to capture the spirit of each of my subjects, animals included, and I believe that this attention is what makes my art unique. Why is your work a good investment? I am always experimenting with the latest paints, papers and tools, and always strive to bring innovation to my work. I continue to show the depth, compassion and beauty in subjects which I hope will enlighten the viewer through evoking mindfulness about them. I am dedicated to producing high quality art, as this is my passion. Tell us about some of your achievements. I have won several awards for my portraits and particularly for my artwork with hands. The greatest achievement for me personally, is seeing improvement in my style, vision and depth of painting. I believe that simply living life with my eyes and heart open helps to improve my work. What recognition have you achieved for your work? I have won several first place and best of show awards over the years for my portraits and hands including at the Degas Pastel Society Annual Show (09’, 11’, 16’), La Fond Pastel Galleries National Pastel Competition (Honorable Mention 00’), Campbell Art Guild (13’, 15’, 16’), and most recently I received the honor of first place at the TRAC 2019 Online Art Competition. What are you passionate about? I am passionate about creating art that impacts myself and others on a deeper level, and I try to use colors and techniques to facilitate this. I sincerely want the world to respect and honor indigenous and minority people, which is why both subjects are a large part of my work’s focus. I am also very concerned about the eradication of endangered or vulnerable wild animals, so I am very passionate about showcasing their beauty and spirits in hopes that others will see it too. Tell us about some of your past work. One of my most awarded paintings is a portrait of a young African American girl titled, Hope in the Hood. Her story is about coming from poor beginnings but working hard and rising to fame. My painting Identity is about a Native American dressed in cowboy attire, sitting in front of an old photo of his ancestors in traditional tipis. This portrait is about the bi-cultural struggles that many Native Americans deal with growing up in mainstream American culture and their indigenous cultures simultaneously. Lastly, my painting, Honoring My Elders is about a transgender Native American who honors their ancestor by wearing their bracelet. |
Reflection
Hope in the Hood
Identity
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"I sincerely want the world to respect and honor indigenous and minority people, which is why both subjects are a large part of my work’s focus."
In My Village
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Nancy Stainton
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Share with us upcoming projects.
I hope to travel more and create sketches and photos of people and animals in distant lands. From these sketches and photos I hope to share my insights of these subjects. I am particularly interested in portraying Mexican, Peruvian and aboriginal people as well as animals native to those regions. I am also interested in working on close-ups of plants and trees, trying to capture their natural spirit. Tell us about where you are based. I am currently based in Monterey, California. I create my work in my home studio. How do you feel about art and its role in the world today? I sincerely hope future generations will understand and continue to see the value in fine, high-quality art. I believe it is imperative to preserve the tradition of creating hand-made art as opposed to machine-made art. There is of course a place and a need for digital art, but I believe it should be balanced with hand-made art. I hope that art will continue to inspire, teach, and change others’ lives as it did mine.
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Long Ago Far Away
PTSD Healing
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On the Lookout
"There is of course a place and a need for digital art, but I believe it should be balanced with hand-made art."
Tibetan Hands
The Three Sisters
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South African Giraffe
Ancient Reflection
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How do you want your art to affect the viewer/world? I want the viewer to see the beauty that I see in my subjects. I want them to feel where the subjects are coming from, see their spirit and develop love and compassion for them too. What are your sources of inspiration My sources of inspiration are nature, animals and people. I am inspired by others who help indigenous and minority people, and endangered wildlife. I am also inspired by the art of Picasso, Van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Leonardi di Vinci, and Dali among others. My creativity is also fueled by beautiful music and dance. www.staintonart.com |
Tea Time
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