Artist Spotlight - Nancy Donaldson

I've been following Nancy Donaldson at All Pulped Out/The Evolution of Nancy for about a year and a half now.  Like most of the blogs/art I like, I typically pop in every once in a while, enjoy myself and move on.  A rather selfish approach really.  But, when Nancy made a blog post with the title "I Love Texture", I knew I had found my next Artist Spotlight interview.  I hope you'll enjoy her words, her art and absorb some of her enthusiam.  (Special bonus for you lovers of Paris:  she just got back from a trip and has posted lots of photos on her blog.)  Please read/enjoy here.  Please read/enjoy there.

Where are you from? And, where do you live now?
I was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada-- which is just a mile across the river from Detroit.  When I graduated college in 1982 I moved to Toronto which is just 365 km up the highway northeast from Windsor.


What is your art education?
I have my degree in interior design. Architectural drafting and the history of art and design were my two favorite classes.  I've taken many classes here in Toronto, at Art and Soul, and at Art Unraveled.


Have you always been an artist or are you “new” to it?
For as long as I can remember I've been creating some form of craft or art.

My grandmother started me when I was just about four. I learned how to sew with a darning needle and yarn around a paper plate, before I knew it I was making clothes for all my Barbies. I was crocheting when I was seven and had my own sewing machine when I was ten, revamping all my clothes as I grew really tall at a young age.  At the same time my grandfather (who was an electrician and I was his "helper") taught me how to construct things out of anything we could find.  It was my first attempt at assemblage.

In school I loved trying anything new including making all the bulletin board displays, creating projects for class, and drawing buildings in perspective. When I moved to Toronto I always took night classes in different forms of art, from still life drawing, japanese painting, watercolour, collage-- just to name a few.

What is your specialty? 
I enjoy creating. Anything.

I've always wanted to know how things are done and so have tried just about every craft. I have a huge collection of paper and found objects and love mixed media. I also love photography and incorporating my photos in my work. I've been learning and discovering Photoshop for five years.  In the fall of 2008 I started encaustic classes at the Toronto School of Art and have been hooked ever since. I love that I can combine everything I have learned so far with this medium.

Please describe your work.
It's me! I'm not sure how else to describe it.


As a papermaker, I was drawn immediately to your site because of the title All Pulped Out, yet you're not a papermaker. Tell me about the blog title.
My website is All Pulped Out.  I've always loved paper and started making papier mache in the early '90's.  I was making a lot of home decor items and was enjoying it very much.  I made my own pulp, sculpted each item, added wire, and painted or decoupaged each piece. By '96 I was attending a huge craft show and needed to make a ton of work so I invited all my girlfriends to my house for a "margarita" party and asked them each to bring a blender.  Well before you knew it, drinks and pulp where flying everywhere. At the end of the night I was taking a break and one of my friends said "Hey, get back to work" and I replied "I'm all pulped out" and she said, "That's it! That's your name!"

Since then my art has evolved. I work in collage, mixed media, assemblage and jewelry as well as concentrating lately on my digital work and encaustic.  My blog became The Evolution of Nancy because my art is always evolving.

What does your work space look like?
Organized chaos.  I've spread out into four rooms of the house and taken over several closets.

What would your ideal workspace look like?
A huge room, maybe 20 by 30, with a large window on either end overlooking nature and hopefully some water.  It would have two walls of shelves filled with supplies and several large tables in the middle. There would be an office at one end, a lounge area at the other and maybe include a small kitchen.


What inspires you?
Everything!!!


When you're not making art, what are you doing?
My day job is a hair stylist, which is creative.  I take photos anywhere I go.  I love digging in my garden, going to flea markets and garage sales and hanging out with my friends.


Is there anything else you'd like to share?
My art is my meditation, my therapy. When I create, the external world drifts away and I'm free to concentrate on what is in front of me. I never know where my art is going to take me, but I enjoy the journey and look forward to the many experiences yet to come.

How can you be contacted about your work?

Email:  nancy_allpulpedout@yahoo.com
Blog:  The Evolution of Nancy
Photos:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/nancydonaldson/
Encaustic:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/26191877@N06/


Many thanks to Nancy for visiting with us.  We all should remember to continue to evolve artistically and personally.

Lorrie