Nancy Strailey views her work as part of a continuum of people who have drawing and painting animals since pre-Paleolithic times, over 35,000 years. She believes her work to be important and sacred, preserving images of species in their native habitat. Over 15 years ago when she accepted a commission to do a painting for a hospital's children's unit she was requested to make its subject animals in honor of a new North Carolina zoo. Up until then she was known for her fanciful carousel horses. She started visiting zoos and wildlife preserves and found a new and profound focus for her art and her life.
Her passion has enabled her to realize an artistic career that has allowed her to immerse herself in her subjects. Many trips to Africa have afforded Nancy the opportunity to sketch, study and photograph the animals which become the subjects of her detailed drawings. Her work primarily consists of colored pencil drawings on primitively made papers from around the world, including papers made from animal dung by the artist while visiting Africa.
Tracking rhino on foot with an unarmed guide, traversing Eastern Botswana in the company of a veteran elephant researcher, exploring the ruins of an ancient iron-age civilization are but a few of the encounters which have provided Nancy Strailey with an intimate and unique view of this continent.
Learn more about Nancy and her drawings:
ArtFairCalendar.com/featured artist
You'll enjoy meeting Nancy, seeing her work and hearing her stories. Next show:
July 20-23 - State Street Area Art Fair - Ann Arbor, MI
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Comments
I adore Nancy's work. Eyes of the Earth Dreaming is on my wish list...the detail in the painting is amazing and I always see something new each time I look at it.
Add to her talent that she is just a nice person. The first time I saw her work (in Des Moines) she spent a lot of time telling me about her techniques, inspirations, and walked me thru many of the "secrets" of her paintings. She's not one to be "better than" or ignore her admirers. Each time I've seen her since, she's been warm and friendly (probably doesn't remember me, but she gives the impression that she does!) and down to earth.