LOCAL ARTIST PROFILE
Nancy Ivan by Peri Hayes “I describe myself as a self-taught art enthusiast,” Nancy Ivan introduces. “As I grew older, ‘life’ took over and that creative side of me took a back seat. It wasn’t until many years later, I attended a paint night event with my husband and it sparked my interest. I bought some acrylic supplies and signed up for a short workshop. I painted with acrylics for a year, mostly painting gifts for friends and family. Once again, ‘life’ grabbed the steering wheel and the art supplies got packed away.” “It was in 2021, while watching random YouTube videos, that a watercolour tutorial video caught my attention. I watched it, and then another and another. I remembered I had an art kit in the basement, which had watercolour paint and paper. I became hooked: painting every day; learning techniques through tutorials; how to work with the magical, finicky beast that is watercolour.” Having worked previously with acrylics, Nancy shares her interest in returning to this medium -- exploring how her evolving watercolour skills over the course of these four years will impact her work with acrylic in the present day. Nancy’s usual time for painting begins mid-morning, lasting into the afternoon. She details, “I prefer having natural light while painting, even if it’s a grey day outside. My prominent inspiration is nature. Nature brings me peace and serenity -- its beauty is unmatched. The spectrum of colours and shapes
in the sky, trees and plants, and the curiosity of animals are amazing to me. Birds in particular have been a prominent subject for me, because of their unique colourations and markings. Another inspiration comes on more of a personal level in painting gifts for family and friends; I like to paint something of special meaning for that person.” Reflecting on her career thus far, Nancy shares the following milestone: “I have a painting called ‘Cardinal Couple’ that I’m
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Page 22 Hometown St. Thomas • October 2025
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