Nancy Hayes
Born in Radnor, PA
Lives & works in Dartmouth, MA
I was raised in a family that held principals of design before comfort or practicality. My father an architect, and mother a floral designer, I was destined to see the world through its structural patterns and organic essence.
When I entered college I had every intention of studying graphic design but was quickly drawn to the unsteady, risky life of the fine artist. After a solid art school education I fell in love with terra cotta clay, went on to graduate school to explore its potential, and continued to use it as a sculptural medium for over twenty years. Clay was the perfect medium to build organic shapes whose exteriors I could enrich with intricate patterns and designs. It served my purpose as a sculptor, but was also limiting in its technical restrictions, especially concerning the use of color.
Seeking a more direct means to explore visual relationships I moved from working in clay to paint, from the three dimensional to the two dimensional. By doing so I also started on a journey that is leading me back home, to the place where I started. A place where design is held in high regard. A place where line, color, shape and pattern are the subject matter. A place where I am free to use a visual vocabulary to express concepts beyond my understanding.
Through the structure of design and the power of color I am diving deep into endless layers of subtext that inform my images: cell structures, atoms, trees, plants, physiology, etc. It seems like every day an insight as to the origins of my paintings is revealed, but instead of dwelling on any specific meaning, I enjoy pondering on the many possibilities and the universal connections.
