We recently connected with Nancy Tankersley and have shared our conversation below.

Nancy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I’m the daughter of a military career officer, and married another career military officer, so stability and staying in one place has never been a part of my life. I’ve lived all over the US and everytime I move my art career has taken on a new focus. The risk I took was buying an established art gallery mid-career and also starting a major art festival. Both endeavors have led me in directions with my art career that I would never have anticipated. Although I had started college as an art major, the type of art that was being taught and produced in my school didn’t interest me and I finished college with a major in community studies. During those years I learned to work with all kinds of people, from migrant farm workers to entrenched bureaucrats.I did very little art and worked as a social worker. Little did I know how much that experience would play into my later career as an artist!
When I started having my children and staying home I returned to my early interest in portraiture and took a few classes. When we moved to Jacksonville, Florida I was suprised to learn that portraiture was a viable career for an artist, especially in the south, I started doing pastel portraits and soon I was always busy with commissions. But of course, the Navy decided to send us to Washington DC and when I arrived there it was like starting all over again. I realized that I needed more training if I was to compete with the portrait artists in a big city. I started studying at the Art League in Alexandria, Va and during that time began thinking that a steady diet of portrait commissions didn’t feed my restless soul. I entered the gallery world when I turned 40 with paintings of other subjects. Being a gallery artist as well as doing commissioned portraits was a big part of my career and occupied my time during the years we lived in the DC area and up until my husband’s retirement. In 2004, with all of our children being out of the home, we took a big risk. We bought a gallery in the Eastern Shore town of Easton, Maryland with absolutely no experience in being small business owners. I had been an artist in the gallery and when the owner decided to sell, she approached me to buy it. I was shocked as I had never considered being anything other than a studio artist. But with all of our children gone, I was painting full time in my home studio in southern Maryland where we had moved after my husband retired from the Navy and took another job. I had been in a co-op studio for about 15 years in the DC area and was missing the interaction with other artists. We also really liked the small town of Easton ( about 2 hours away from where we were currently living. So we did a little research, were surprised when a local bank agreed to give us a business loan, and took the plunge. At the same time, the plein air movement was getting a foothold on the east coast and I was well aware of it as my subject matter now included landscapes. A few months after we moved to Easton, I pitched the idea of starting a plein air festival to the town of Easton. Next thing I knew I was one of the primary developers of what is now the largest and arguably most successful plein air competition in the country. That is where my earlier training as a community organizer came into play. Situations I had experienced in my days as a community organizer in California were replicated in many ways during the development of Plein Air Easton. Different groups had diverse needs that had to be met if the festival was to be successful. I think that without this training I might have made mistakes that would have alienated parts of the local arts community. Some of the same skillset I learned as a community developer also helped during the 13 years we owned the art gallery. Owning the gallery and meeting artists from all over the country from the plein air festival also led to another risk which was starting up a school where I taught and invited other artists to lead workshops. So the risks and experiences of the last 18 years have led me to where I am now: a studio artist represented by galleries across the country, a teacher who teaches locally, nationally and internationally, and a frequent judge and consultant for plein air festivals. In fact, next year I will be the judge for the 20th Anniversary of Plein Air Easton!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Nancy Tankersley began her career as a portraitist but entered the gallery scene with figurative paintings of people at work and at leisure. Currently as she searches for the unpredictable, Tankersley moves between landscape, figures and still life. Incorporating non- traditional tools , supports and technologies for her paintings she remains faithful to her impressionistic style.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

To be the best artist I can be while keeping myself open to new ways of seeing and creating. Equally important is helping others to find their way as artists.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect is when someone responds to my work either through purchasing it, honoring it with an award, or simply sharing their reactions with me. Art is communication and I feel very fortunate to be able to speak to people all over the world through this universal language.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nancytankersley.com
• Instagram: nancy_tankersley
• Facebook: Nancy Tankersley

Image Credits
Benjamin Tankersley for first image; photographer unknown for second image