“My goal in painting is to put down what I see, feel, and experience in a person, place, or object. Ideally, the painting will hold grace, strength, and truth. It is my joy—my passion to paint.”
Statement
Painting and drawing have always been incredibly important in my life. At a very young age, I was fortunate to receive encouragement and recognition for my work and for my love of drawing and painting.
Growing up in a small desert town in California, I found plenty of inspiration and support from family members and a friend, who also shared my love of art. They made drawing and painting fun and exciting. I felt like I had been born with a magical key to understand it and make it happen.
Art crept into my life in unusual ways while I was doing other things. As an English teacher, I required my students to illustrate their wonderful stories. And, they were wonderful! I painted Disney characters on my preschool daughters’ shoes and for their friends. They thought they were wonderful! I doodled on the notepads left on my door by realtors and encouraged my daughters to do the same. Art continued as an enjoyable and somewhat sneakily important part of my life.
Today, I create realistic paintings. I hope to hold time, a thought, a person, or a beautiful object in a still space to savor. I strive to capture the beauty I see or feel in every piece, whether it is a gorgeous vase of flowers against a variety of backgrounds, a portrait of a child captured in play, or a lush or serene garden landscape. My hope is to share my response to what I find beautiful and worthy through the brushstrokes and choice of colors on my canvas.
Painting is my passion and my life’s work. I feel incredibly blessed and fortunate to be an artist and to share my joy with others.
Biography
Nancy Plank is a California artist specializing in realistic oil paintings of florals, landscapes, portraits, and still life. Her paintings expose the beauty and elegance of her chosen subject with color palettes reminiscent of the old masters. “My eye locks into what I find beautiful, balanced, and emotive and I work until I’ve captured that in paint.”
Nancy’s education included studies at The American Academy of Art in Chicago, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the National Academy of Design School and Fine Arts in New York. In California, she studied at Watt’s Atelier, La Jolla Athenaeum, and the Workshop of the Masters. Some notable artists she has taken classes with include Richard Schmid, David Leffel, Sherrie McGraw, Qiang Huang, and Carol Marine. In addition to her formal art training, Nancy continues to deepen her knowledge and sensibility for her craft by her many visits to museums in England, France, Italy, and throughout the United States.
Recently juried into the International Guild of Realism’s Spring Exhibition, Nancy has participated in many local, regional, and international shows. In addition, her paintings have been featured in several interior design and fine art magazines.
Currently, Nancy Plank lives and paints in San Diego, California, where she has her studio. Her work can be purchased through her website and she is also available for commissioned paintings.
CV
Upcoming and Current Events
2024 Apr 1-Jun 30 The Power of Flowers, Coronado Library, CA
2024 Apr 20 & 21st Coronado Flower Show, Coronado, CA
2024 10th Anniversary of The Studio Door, Hillcrest, CA
Solo Exhibitions
2022 Dec 2-30, Landscapes, Chase Bank, Coronado, CA
2022 Oct 29 & 30, California Coastal Rose Society, El Corazon Oceanside Senior Center, Oceanside, CA
2022 Chase Bank, Coronado, CA
2019-22 Le Macron, Del Mar, CA
2017-22 La Jolla Sports Club, La Jolla, CA
2017 HYPE, San Diego, CA
Group Exhibition
2017 Muramid Art & Cultural Center, Oceanside, CA
2017 4Up Show, San Diego, CA
2016 Open Studios San Diego, San Diego, CA
2016 50 to Watch, The Studio Door, San Diego, CA, Jurors: Christine Knoke (Director of Exhibitions and Chief Curator / Mingei International Museum) and Jenna S. Jacobs (Curatorial Manager,
Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego)
2015 Holiday Art Market, San Diego, CA
2015 The Empyrean Artifacts, Palm Desert, CA
2015 Open Studios San Diego, San Diego, CA
2015 50 to Watch, The Studio Door, San Diego, CA
2012-15 San Diego Art Department, San Diego, CA
2013 San Diego Art Institute, Museum of the Living Artist, San Diego, CA
2009-11 Athenaeum, La Jolla, CA
Publications
2016 50 to Watch, The Studio Door, National Publication
2015 50 to Watch, The Studio Door, National Publication
2013 Ray Street Artists Catalog, San Diego Art Department
Education
2017 6th Annual Plein Air Convention, San Diego, CA
2015 Watt's Atelier, oil painting with Meadow Gist and Ben Young, Encinitas, CA
2012 Weekend with the Masters, oil painting with Sherrie McGraw, Quang Ho, Rose Frantzen, Carolyn Anderson, Daniel E. Greene, and Daniel Gerhartz, Rancho Bernardo, CA
2011 Weekend with the Masters, oil painting with Richard Schmid, David Leffel, Sherrie McGraw, Rose Frantzen, Sacramento, CA
2011-12 Qiang Huang Workshops, oil painting with Meadow Gist and Ben Young, Laguna Niguel, CA
2011 Carol Marine Workshop, San Luis Obispo, CA
95-2011 Athenaeum, La Jolla, CA, oil portraits with Ken Goldman, Stephanie Goldman, Alida Cervantes, oil still life, landscape, and color theory with Pat Kelly
1983 National Academy of Design School of Fine Arts, watercolor with Reeve Schley
1981 American Academy of Art, watercolor with Irving Shapiro
1980 The Brooklyn Museum Art School, fashion illustration with Ruth Rosenthal