Nancy Neaher Maas

Nancy has studios in Texas and Michigan, where she also paints plein aire.  Having exhibited for many years in juried exhibitions, she is known for her collaged watercolor weavings, a technique she developed more than twenty years ago while living in upstate NY.

Past/Current Memberships: Signature member, Texas Regional, Irving, Texas, San Diego Watercolor Society, Taos Society of Watercolorists and Society of Watercolor Artists (SWA), Fort Worth; member, Southwest Watercolor Society (SWS), Dallas, TX.

Awards: First prize for architectural landscape, CNYWS, 2008. People’s Choice Award, 2008, Community School, Ithaca. Juried into Taos national Exhibition 2008, Western Federation of Watercolorists 2009, San Diego Watercolor Society International Exhibition, 2009 and 2010, Arizona Watercolor Association national show, 2010, “Best of AWA” 2011. Chosen as official artist of the nationally known Ithaca Festival, 2009. Honorable mention 2013 and second place in water  media 2015, Keller, TX annual art exhibition, awards of Excellence and Achievement. SWA, 2015 and 2016.  2018 third prize, all Michigan fine arts juried competition, Charlevoix, Michigan.

Featured Artist:“Painting Charlevoix and Beyond,”, Crooked Tree Center of the Arts, Petoskey, Michigan, 2014. She has also served as juror for painting competitions in upstate New York and Florida. Articles: American Artist, Watercolor, Coastal Living , Traverse Magazine, Life in the Finger Lakes. Book: Watercolor Weavings (2016), an illustrated retrospective.

Nancy is also an art historian, specializing in the arts of Africa. She taught at the university level for many years in Detroit (Wayne State University), and upstate N. Y. (Cornell University and Ithaca College). Education: Smith College (B.A.cum laude), Harvard University (M.A.T.) and Stanford University (M.A., Ph.D.). She continues to research and write about Nigerian metalwork, her specialty. International experience beginning as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, followed by extensive living, traveling and researching in sub-Saharan Africa. Subsequent travel to many parts of the world continues to inspire her art.

Art Education: Numerous workshops in the art of painting and watercolor, including ones by the late Peter Kahn, Tim Taylor, Charles Reid, Judy Betts, Virginia Cobey, Carla O’Connor, Ian Stewart and others.

Workshops: See workshops for further information.

PERSONAL STATEMENT

“I am a watercolorist for life. Watercolor provides all the danger, surprise and excitement I could want from a painting medium. Together, pigment and water dominate the painting process as they roll across a paper surface at breakneck speed. One must act quickly to staunch this duo’s progress, attempting to carve purposeful images out of a uniquely fluid and animate essence. I love this challenge, for it requires constant dialogue. The medium and I impose our will on paper, hoping for a result that marries both our efforts.

Giving expression to movement and rhythm seems to be a logical consequence of this exchange. Whether it’s a watercolor weaving, a collage, or a traditional painting, I can’t resist the desire to visualize the energy implicit in a chosen subject.

Despite the fact that I exhibit ocasionally, what really motivates my art is the process itself. My studios are full of experimental work which never see the light of day as I try to find the best means of expressing a chosen subject.

Currently I am intrigued by the contrast in environment between the forested world of northern Michigan and the dense urban-suburban character of north Texas. Having spent so much time in the former, it is a challenge to deal with the volumes and sharp angles of Texas’ populous landscapes. I am currently trying to find my way with this new imagery.”