Artworks by Nancy J. McLaughlin

My paintings are directly influenced by my love for the complexity and beauty of the natural world surrounding us. I strive to transport the viewer to a place where our experience is uncomplicated by life’s daily demands. I want to bring the clarity of a child’s vision back into focus, when we could see the world with a curiosity unspoiled by judgement or cynicism.

In my earliest memories I recall wanting to make things and to draw whenever I could. I was lucky to have parents who were supportive of my artistic attempts, but they never believed I would be able to support myself that way. I started at Bowling Green State University studying for entry into veterinary school. Calculus brought me back to reality and I realized I would not make the cut. I knew exactly what I wanted next, and began registering for classes in the school of art.

I graduated with a BFA in painting and a teaching certification. I left Ohio for the west, stopping first in Tucson where I substituted at public schools and worked in a frame shop for a little over a year. I knew neither job suited me.

The following summer I travelled to Seattle and decided to stay. Art teaching jobs were drying up, but I was hired by the railroad and worked there for 35 years. I became a locomotive engineer and loved it. I was never behind a desk or in room without windows. I continued to make art and entered juried competitions and shows. I won several awards, and often sold work when it was exhibited. I had a few galleries contact me, but I didn’t have the time to give my art making my full attention. I immersed myself in the outdoors, just as I had done riding horses as a kid. The Cascade and Olympic mountains called me to hike, backpack and ski as often I could. 

I am now happily retired from the railroad and fortunate to be near both the mountains and the coast, where I continue to enjoy my outdoor activities. I divide my time between Copalis Beach, Washington and Prescott, Arizona. I now have time to paint as much as I want, a dream come true.

I primarily work with acrylics on canvas, often adding colored pencil and graphite. I also paint on paper and experimental surfaces like Tyvek, a synthetic paper made of polyethylene fibers that resist moisture and tearing.

I paint on unstretched canvas attached to a large board. I prefer having a hard surface in order to apply a firm pressure on the canvas. I may use an object or photo for my subject matter, but often I recall a place or reaction to a moment, then challenge myself to create an image that captures its inner substance. I start with an arrangement of contrasting shapes, then build several layers of expressive color, energetic brushwork and mark-making. I use large brushes and palette knives to lay the groundwork, then layer more paint and carefully chosen marks as the forms take shape.

Much of the inspiration for my work comes from the natural world and numerous outdoor adventures. I am also inspired by many painters before me and currently working, including Emily Carr and the Canadian Group of Seven, as well as Abstract Expressionists and contemporary urban art. 

My compositions develop through a relationship between naturalistic forms, often landscapes or organic shapes, and purely non-objective forms. I work from both memory and observation, but my goal is to subjugate that realism into a thought provoking abstraction. My best paintings conjure up the essence of a particular place or time infused with my original vision, and can bring that unique and new vision to the viewer’s experience.