Art and Prints by Nancy Early

Visual and performance art runs in my family. My maternal grandma who we all called, Gagi owned a ballet studio. I took ballet and tap lessons from the time I was three until her passing when I was nine.

Soon after Gagi died my dad got a new job and we moved from Aurora, Illinois to Elkhart, Indiana where music was still taught in elementary school. I moved from dance to music. I chose to play the viola and participated as 1st chair in orchestra from 4th grade until we moved to Geneva, Illinois in 7th grade. Once settled in the new school I made friends that played guitars and sang and I picked up playing the guitar.

Moving into visual

My interest and talents as a visual artist came mostly from my dad’s side of the family. He was an architect and a woodworker, spending most of his weekends caning chairs, building or refinishing furniture.

On a coffee table dad had made was often artbooks on Frank Lloyd-Wright, Japanese architecture, Michelangelo, or Leonardo da Vinci. I remember the passion and reverence dad had when we’d sit down together and look through them. He taught me art history and how to appreciate the great artists and creators that had come before.

I always loved to color and doodle. My art teachers in middle and high school were very encouraging when I turned in assignments and I began to think I might be able to get good at art.

I sold my first painting as a Junior to my science teacher. Then, in my senior year, I entered and won first prize in a Statewide painting competition, winning a mini-scholarship to a local community college.

After using the community college scholarship, I transfered to study drawing at University. Between my freshman and sophomore semesters, I flew out to California to spend the summer with a friend. Well, I thought it was just going to be between semesters.... That trip turned into a 30-year love affair with the beauty of California. I lived mainly in Northern California enjoying its abundant and diverse flora and for a short time near the beaches of greater Los Angeles.
During my time in Southern California I earned a degree in Studio Art. During this period, I drew and painted live models and found a greater ability to create art from observation.

A year or so after graduation, my day job relocated me back to Northern California and I married a few years later. I returned to college again and received a BA in Computer Video Imagery and began an offshoot creative career in web design and for a short time, in video editing.

Throughout all my day jobs, I continued to paint and teach art to students young and old.

I have experienced a lot of changes in my life. The first marriage ended during the recession of 2008-09. I lost my marriage, my job, my home, and much of my personal belongings. But not my dog, nor my art. In fact, I painted even more during that time. Not because I could sell the work, but because it kept me sane and allowed me to express my emotions with paint.

I went back to Illinois for my sister's anniversary party in the summer of 2009. At the party, I met the man that would become my 2nd husband.

After a few months of long distance romance, he sent out a friend of his that was a professional mover, and this friend packed up my art, my dog, my car, me and a few belongings and drove us 2000 miles from California back to the Midwest. My dog, Sable, loved all the french fries she got on that 3 day trip.

We married and moved to the country. It was wonderful marriage for a few years. I had a big outbuilding for my studio, and a couple of acres to plant vegetable and flower gardens.

Unfortunately, work in my web design field was hard to come by and the rural area didn't allow for a lot of art sales. After a particularly bad layoff, I was unable to find another job in my field in the area and had to look out of state.