She aims to capture an essence
Nancy Crawford has been drawing and painting since she was very young, a creative pursuit that has always brought her happiness and a sense of fulfillment. After working in charities for many years running large fundraising campaigns, Nancy began her professional artistic journey in 2019, just before the global pandemic. Though challenging for many, the lockdown period gave her more time to paint and develop her distinctive style. Over the years, she has exhibited her work alongside respected British artists like Grayson Perry, Antony Gormley, Maggie Hambling, and Anish Kapoor, with her artwork now finding homes across the globe.
Nancy's Artistic Approach
Nancy aims to capture the essence rather than a literal interpretation of each subject in her work. She is particularly drawn to the textural qualities of paint, working with both colour and texture to achieve her finished pieces. Her techniques are often innovative and subject-specific—using needles to paint dandelions to capture their distinctive form, or crafting her own palette knives from recycled plastic for her popular poppy paintings. This attention to technique and texture has become a hallmark of her distinctive style, allowing her to convey the subtle nuances of her subjects with remarkable sensitivity.
From Charity to Canvas
Nancy's path to becoming a professional artist follows a rich and varied career. She grew up near trout streams in Hampshire, worked as a hat designer in Leicester, taught in Edinburgh, and became a charity leader in London before settling in Bristol 20 years ago to raise her two daughters. Her work in the charity sector introduced her to many fascinating people and experiences, including chaperoning Ant and Dec when they were under 18 at a private Stevie Wonder concert. This diverse background has infused her artistic perspective with unique insights and sensibilities that are reflected in her work.
Evolution of Crawford's Portfolio
Nancy has become known for her interpretative seascapes, landscapes, and abstract works, typically created with acrylics but often incorporating collage and mixed media elements. Her small fruit paintings, which focus on light and colour, evolved during the first UK lockdown when art supplies were limited. Working on small canvases instead of her usual large boards, she created a series that continues to grow today. In recent years, many of her commissions have been for large, expansive seascapes as well as her ever-popular floral subjects. Nancy finds inspiration in capturing fleeting moments in nature—the beauty of a pear, the delicate petals of a poppy before they fall, the bloom of a plum—with time spent outdoors continually fueling her creativity and artistic vision.