Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Good

Hi Nancy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

Born in Texas in 1961, I have lived and worked as an artist in Las Vegas since 2011. My creative pursuits over the past three decades have been heavily influenced by: travels to Australia, Africa, Vietnam; childhood residency in Japan; adult life as an artist, photographer, musician, fly-fishing guide, backpacker, writer, and teacher in Montana, Nevada, California, Tennessee and Illinois, along with eclectic DNA revealing connections with cultures the world over. A common thread through my work is the employment of materials and tools of modern times while playfully utilizing aesthetics of ancient ancestries, including symbols and primitive mark-making.

Following undergraduate studies in classical voice, creative writing and art at Eureka College in Illinois, I have continued ongoing self-education in visual arts through extensive experimentation. Known for mural-sized, physically-interactive, multi-layered 2-dimensional works interpreting humanity’s search for meaning, as well as extensive digital works, my studio practice is deeply rooted in self-discipline, dedication and unwavering focus on the creation of strong contemporary art that compels dialogue and human connection. Working with a sensory condition known as synesthesia, I am acutely aware of vibrations, and translate this into my work via color palette and thematic elements. Maintaining a rigorous and disciplined studio practice, I frequently focus on works that bring voice to advocacy within cultural and social issues such as gun violence, systemic racism, societal inequities, preservation of natural spaces, climate change, and more.

From May 2018 to December 2024, I facilitated CORE Contemporary, a fine art gallery with the specific mission of providing exhibition opportunities for other artists, educational opportunities for the community, mentoring and artist development, and maintaining an arts & culture event space, all while working in my on-site studio.

From June 2020 to December 2024, I operated CORE Arts Concord Inc., an arts nonprofit dedicated to arts and culture opportunities, education and community engagement founded in equity, tolerance and inclusion. This nonprofit “arm” of the gallery provided support for dedicated emerging and mid-career Las Vegas fine artists.

In 2022, I received an appointment as an adjunct faculty member for Roseman University Medical School, she brings her experience as an artist and advocate to build bridges between art and science, to facilitate workshops and design curricula to broaden the education of medical students.

A published and award-winning artist, my work has regularly been seen in exhibits across the country in high profile locations such as Las Vegas City Hall, Clark County Rotunda, Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery (UNLV), Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art (UNLV), Doyle Arts Pavilion in Costa Mesa, San Diego Museum of Art, Reno-Tahoe International Airport, Reno-Tahoe International Art Show, Nevada Humanities, Meow Wolf Las Vegas, MGM, Delano Hotel, St. Mary’s Arts Center, as well as HERE Arts, Salmagundi Club, and Superchief Gallery in NYC, Nashville International Airport, Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Contemporary Arts Center in Las Vegas, Burning Man, Life is Beautiful Festival and galleries in the Southeast, New York, Montana, Nevada, California and Europe. My work is also found in important private collections throughout the U.S. and overseas through sales, gifts and charitable donations, including the acquisition of work by the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Fine Art, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, and the Staenberg Collection of Contemporary Art. Additionally, I have received four Congressional Commendations for artistic contributions, and have been inducted (through competitive jury process) into the National Association of Women Artists, a 135-year old professional arts organization.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

As a multi-disciplinary artist (musician/vocalist, painting, print work, photography, digital art, writing), the roots of my story connect deeply to the development of my imagination as a way to combat early traumas such as abuse, poverty, abandonment, and parental mental illness. As joy increased through a deeper study and execution of all these genres of art, I found that this joy also brought me further down the road to healing from not only the early childhood traumas, but also continues to guide me through more recent traumatic experiences.

Thankfully, it not it has not been a completely smooth road! I welcome the struggles that actually help me grow and evolve as a human being. I’ve experienced multiple miscarriages, domestic and sexual violence, loss of loved ones through suicide and addiction, and have faced failures brought by personal choices. All of these struggles, however, have planted seeds that ultimately brought me countless joys and successes.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

Considering myself a humanist, philosopher artist, my works seek to create dialogue and connection to counteract the prevalent divisions of contemporary times. Known for large-scale works (frequently 10 feet or larger) painted in series, my passion is to immerse viewers in abstract landscapes that invite unexpected physical interaction with 2-dimensional planes. Through the use of “hidden-in-plain-sight” elements viewers must change their position and perspectives to the works to discover secret messages, symbols, and shapes. The philosophical intention behind these creative choices is to remind all who interact with the works that to understand what is directly before them may require that they “look at something in a new light”. The humanist in me then hopes viewers will bring this philosophy with them into their everyday lives.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

A theme that drives me is the importance of transparency in the realm of mentorship. For example, I work with almost daily with artists through my contemporary gallery space and arts nonprofit to provide opportunities for professional development. One of the tools I use is documenting nearly all of my studio sessions through video and photography shared on YouTube and social media. By sharing the steps, self-discipline, and time it takes to create art, from clumsy beginnings to awkward, in-between stages to the final results, I hope to inspire other artists to “show up” for themselves and their careers, even when they are unsure of themselves. I believe that we all learn from each other and are made better by sharing the real world experience of making art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nancygoodart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancygood_art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancygoodfineart
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BelaGood