who is nan mccarthy?

Nan McCarthy

nan mccarthy, creator of impeccably detailed fine art, has loved art since she was able to hold a crayon. Even at an early age, she preferred the skinny crayons, no doubt a precursor to her current use of very teeny paintbrushes. She was fortunate that her parents kept her well supplied with paper and the largest available box of crayons. Her mother, who came from a family of artists, was her first art teacher. Despite the fact that the elementary school art teacher liked students to "express themselves" with dribbles, scribbles, and blots on paper (this was the Fifties, when abstract art was in favor), nan preferred realistic subjects, drawing the suburban streets and houses where she grew up. She took her first formal training during summer vacation with a local professional watercolor artist while she was in high school. By that time, in order to leave room for a heavy course load of science, math, and languages, art was relegated to whatever time was available after the homework was completed. She attended Wells College and was thrilled to learn that math majors could use Studio Art as a minor. This, in turn, led to nan being awarded a work-study scholarship for one year at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, where, to avoid the ubiquitous abstract art, she took life drawing.
Alas, at that point in her life, the need to eat and put a roof over her head forced her to take a day job, something that felt a bit like being sold into slavery. Still, she soldiered on, painting during her spare time, until she became frustrated by the pressure from others (supposedly older and wiser) to use gobs of paint and paint things that were unidentifiable as anything in the real world (this was the Seventies, when abstract art was STILL in favor). Fortunately, the Muse of Art does not take kindly to being ignored, and in the early Nineties, nan began painting again. She made an agreement with herself that she would paint her way, because she was now older, if not necessarily wiser. In the fall of 2007, nan retired from her day job, at which time the "golden handcuffs" were removed, and she realized her life-long dream of devoting her time to her art.

Although nan  has worked in many mediums over the years, she now works almost exclusively in acrylics. She has made her peace with their quick drying time and loves their versatility. She uses many layers of thin paint on a smooth panel. Working from her own photographs, she specializes in miniature (25 square inches or less) and small (up to 35 square inches) photorealistic New England landscape scenes. The process of creating a beautifully rendered painting from the photograph takes many painstaking steps, requiring many hours of meticulous detailing using a size 0 round brush (1/32" in diameter), or even a 5/0 brush. Because everything is downsized, these paintings can take as long or longer than completing a larger piece using large brushes. It takes nan  about a month to complete a painting; she loves the challenge of creating these small, intimate works of art. She revels in detail and considers “render,” “tight,” and “it looks like a photograph,” to be compliments, while “loosening up” is not one of her goals.

Workshop

Education

Studied with Susan Abbott, Byron Carr, Nicole Caulfield, Larry Charles, Jinghua Gao Dalia, Peter Granucci, Martha Munroe, Robert O'Brien, Marylise Reilly-Fajal, Rena-Marie Rockwell, John Rogers, Gary Ruuska, Koo Schadler, Robert Hayes Seaman, Shannon Stirnweis.

Brooklyn Museum Art School / Life Drawing / 1969-1970
B.A. Wells College / Minor in Studio Art / 1969

Exhibition Highlights

 Miniature and Small Works Exhibitions

Annual International Exhibition of Fine Arts in Miniature of The Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Society of Washington, DC / The Mansion at Strathmore, North Bethesda, MD / 2001, 2007–2023

Annual Exhibition of Miniature Art / Council for the Arts, Chambersburg, PA / 2019 - 2023

Winter Show of Miniatures and Small Works / Parklane Gallery, Kirkland, WA / 2020-2022

International Miniature Art Show / Parklane Gallery, Kirkland, WA / 2022

International Miniature Art Show / Seaside Art Gallery, Nags Head, NC / 1998–2000, 2014–2023

Contemporary Miniatures / Corkran Gallery, Henlopen Acres, DE / 2019

Library Arts Center, Newport, NH

Juried Regional Exhibition / 2014, 2020

MainStreet MarketPlace & Gallery, Warner, NH

Summertime Splash / 2019
New Works / 2016-2020

Other Exhibitions

National Purebred Dog Day Fine Art/Poster Competition 2023
https://nationalpurebreddogday.com/art-competition/?

Collections

Work is in private collections in Arizona, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, and England.

Selected Awards and Honors

Honorable Mention for “Upper Falls” / 39th Annual Juried Exhibition Miniature Art / Council for the Arts, Chambersburg, PA / 2023

Curator’s Award for “An Autumn Afternoon” / Winter Show / Parklane Gallery, Kirkland, WA / 2021

Honorable Mention for “Autumn on the River” / 35th Annual North American Miniature Juried Exhibition / The Art Gallery of Fells Point, Fells Point, MD / 2018

Honorable Mention for “Blue Door” / 34th Annual North American Miniature Juried Exhibition / The Art Gallery of Fells Point, Fells Point, MD / 2017

Honorable Mention for “Tranquil Spot” / Sulphur Springs Valley 20th International Miniature and Small Works Art Show / Willcox Chamber of Commerce, Willcox, AZ / 2017

Nan-Hdr