Art of Nancy Brooks-Lane

THE WORK

My practice begins with attention: walking, looking, listening, noticing what is easily passed by.

Sometimes that means wandering through a community and observing the rhythms of a place—what I hear, touch, taste, and smell, the conversations I encounter, and the details that reveal something about the people who live there. I may talk with community members about what matters to them and allow those encounters to influence where I look and what I make.

Sometimes the looking is much closer to home. On my  hobby farm, I take long walks, watch the changing landscape, and follow the flow of the creek that circles my home. Time in nature gives me room to notice movement, repetition, interruption, texture, light, and change.

The resulting work may begin with an inspiring painting or photograph, written words, conversation, a walk, or simply something that catches my attention. I don’t always know where an observation will lead. The process is often about following it long enough to find out.

ARTS + SOCIAL JUSTICE

My artistic practice exists alongside my commitment to civil rights and economic and social justice.

My professional work has included advocacy and work related to civil rights, inclusion, employment, and economic and social justice.

I have helped create spaces in which people who are often overlooked or excluded can be recognized for their creativity, contribution, and full humanity.

CURRENTLY

Making:
Acrylic paintings · Digital photography

Looking at:
Nature · Oddities · Shapes · Colors· Imperfections

Following:
Unexpected relationships · Beauty in unlikely places

Carrying:
An ache that has never entirely left me—and a continuing fascination with the beauty of the world.