NANCY SLAGHT - Artist Statement
Small and large life experiences create a connected presence for me: watching my grand-niece baby take her first breath; glimpsing a larch in the mountains in the fall and the aroma of the different seasons for evergreen needles; leaves going from green to gold and bark darkening to black; I love dancing, and feel the uplift of spirit when singing with the congregation at Sunday service; jogging on the waterfront; quietly studying each morning; laughing at the crows antics on the wires outside my windows…..I paint Metaphor. My imagination leaps in pondering the next metaphor. The very act of painting, creating quiets my excitable nature and is vital to me as a functioning happy human being. Working in a series has been my way of approaching variations on a theme affording me the opportunity to stay with an idea, settle and allow one image to lead to the next. My love affair with soft pastel on papers has been deeply engaging but I have delighted in expanding my exploration into mixed media on wooden cradles. For a few years now it has been so beneficial to spend time each week collaborating with Mary-ellen as we challenge each other to see and record in ways that are new but still connected.
Biography
Nancy Slaght is a Victoria artist living and working in her seaside home/studio. A BC resident of 35 years, she was raised in Calgary Alberta 3 rambunctious brothers enjoying a great love of athletics and the outdoors. Earliest recollections of art from Glenbow Museum Sales and Rentals program gracing our walls are vivid. Classical and jazz music played from the stereo. And credit goes to my family of pragmatists and professionals for bringing a balance to my esoteric nature and contributing to the making of my living with my hands. Nancy began her art practice in her late 30’s after marrying young, travelling with a Christian rock band and living abroad in Great Britain, Europe and Japan. Nancy enrolled at the Victoria College of Art and during the summer between the 2nd and 3rd years she opened a box of soft pastels. Their immediacy and ability to function as a drawing and painting medium hooked her. Supporting herself with a cleaning business and life modeling Nancy graduated with VCA and Associate Diplomas in 1996/97. Nancy has exhibited at Winchester Galleries, AGGV Art Rental & Sales Victoria and Mt. Avens Gallery, Canmore, AB. In addition to her exhibition work she continues to teach weekly classes and hold workshops on Vancouver Island and in Alberta. Nancy’s work is held in private collections in Japan, the UK, USA, and Canada.
ARTISTS' COLLABORATION: Slaght and Threadkell’s close friendship has been enhanced by working collaboratively over many years and has strengthened their individual creative voices within their own practises. “Working together stimulates our creative processes while critically growing each collaborative piece – Ego is left at the door”.