It takes more than one artistic medium to fully express Nancy Nixon’s creativity and talent. As she has explored various media throughout her career, there has been one constant: she has surrounded herself with a creative energy that has nurtured her art and informed her worldview.
Nixon’s artistic roots run deep. She is a third generation maternal painter and the great niece of New Hope Impressionist Edward Willis Redfield. “Art has just always been very familiar to me,” says Nixon, who has worked in art in one form or another all her life. “Every job I’ve ever had has been art-related, except for a summer job as a lifeguard years ago. I can’t image doing anything else.”
Her art is influenced by her interests and surroundings. An early interest in the Italian Renaissance period led to study at the School of Sacred Arts in New York and is evident in her Byzantine Iconography. She has worked in several different two and three-dimensional media including ceramics, glass-blowing, jewelry design, sculpture and painting and has worked in Cleveland, New York City and for Walt Disney and Universal Studios in Orlando.
After living for 22 years away from Chautauqua County, Nixon is back in Westfield – a place she’s happy to be. That peacefulness is evident in her latest works, including a series of portrait interpretations using the Sherman Collection at the Patterson Library as inspiration. “I fell in love with area all over again,” she says. “The views are breathtaking and the people are wonderful.” And when Nixon needs an artistic opinion, she’s got her mother, Joanne, right across the street. “I value her opinion. She’s an artist herself and we have a similar palette.”
As for Nixon, being back to her roots gives her the freedom to explore new artistic realms, including some landscapes and nature scenes that stem from a newfound interest in sport and hunting. “I’ve developed a love, respect and admiration for the craft of hunting,” says Nixon. “I met a wonderful man and fell in love and, again, my horizons have been expanded.”
Nixon is a member of the North Shore Arts Alliance, a group that she credits with building solidarity among local artists. “It’s difficult, particularly in a rural place like Chautauqua County,” says Nixon, “for artists to get exposure.” The North Shore Arts Alliance organized a very successful Open Studio Tour earlier this year and plans a second tour May 29-20th (see www.chautauquaarttrail.com for more information).
As gallery curator at the Patterson Library’s Octagon Gallery in Westfield, Nixon has the opportunity to meet other local artists and help them get the exposure they need. “I really adore my job,” she says. “It’s the best of both worlds. There’s a part of it which is very small town, very Westfield. But at the same time the library is this great center for ideas and learning, and it has given me so many opportunities to meet new artists and see their work.” Nixon has brought art to the community by introducing Art in the Park at the Westfield Farmers Market and First Friday artists in conjunction with the Westfield-Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the Westfield Development Corporation. “The more people see local and regional art, the better,” says Nixon. “There’s so much talent out there.”
To see Nixon’s artwork, go to www.nancyhnixon.com.
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Nancy Nixon, Patterson Library, Art Trail, creativity, painter, artist, North Shore Arts Alliance |
