Glass Artist & Painter

Glass Artist & Painter

Posted on by Ntang

I’ve been creating kiln fired glass work for about 24 years now, 16 of them in Maine. I create jewelry, accessories, dishes and glass art pieces. My studies (long ago) were in painting and sculpture, and I’ve found myself yearning to create more one of a kind pieces. Last year I decided to focus more on creating art and marketing it separately from my other work and this required me to approach new venues. With that goal in mind I also decided to create a new site dedicated to my art vs. my jewelry etc….

In late 2015 I joined the Bangor Art Society and entered my glass art pieces in a few exhibits and an auction. Hanging around these fine people somehow lit the desire to paint again. I haven’t painted in about 30 years but here I go again!

This  year, 2018, I’ve joined several arts organizations and will be participating in a number of exhibits with them. Check my ‘where to find me’ page for upcoming venues.

This site is a natural extension of this new direction….. I hope you will enjoy it..

~Love and Light, Nancy

PS: My dichroic glass jewelry can be found at Glass Orchids and my new market farm & lavender farm info can be found at WinterRose Farm.

Garden of Dreams – Acrylic painting by Nancy Tang

Posted on by Ntang

Garden of Dreams is one of my newest pieces. If you’ve seen some of my glass paintings, I was attempting to emulate that process, but with paint. I think it was fairly successful. I strive to make every small square of space ‘work’ by itself, while also having the entire piece ‘work’ as one whole. I like colors to really sing next to each other.  I’ve used a gallery wrapped canvas and painted the edges as well,I’m really liking gallery wraps.

I build up layer after layer until I think the piece is done, so the final product might not look anything like when I started. It’s always an journey of discovery. This piece is currently hanging in 11 Central, a lovely restaurant in Bangor, ME.

 

Garden of Dreams, 2023

 

Been a long time….

Been a long time….

Posted on by Ntang

Apparently it’s been way too long since I posted here. I have not been painting very much of late, but I did get a new sparkly iPad and I’ve been playing with some digital art. It amazes me how much it’s like painting with paint. I really love it. Here are a few of the pieces I’ve created:

Green Flats
Landscape in blues and pinks. Painted from imagination.
Landscape
No Justice No Peace - sign of the times.
No Justice, No Peace

Requiem

Requiem

Posted on by Ntang

My mother passed several years ago, although it seems like yesterday….. I made this piece in memory of her. It’s a faux encaustic, mixed media piece.  It’s a little dark, but then so was my life when it was created.

The process was very interesting as I added elements and built up layers upon layers, like year upon year, memory upon memory.

It, of course, is not for sale, but I wanted to share it with you nonetheless.

~Nan

Shopping Cart Blues

Posted on by Ntang

Well there is something wrong with my shopping cart connection, sooooooooo if you place an order and it fails, don’t worry, I still get the order, but then I have to send a Square invoice to complete it. This will just be until I can figure out what the disconnect is…. might be with  my SQL on my site… but I need time to research and figure it out. Life was simple once, wasn’t it?

~N

Verona Rising – Acrylic painting on canvas – Maine

Verona Rising – Acrylic painting on canvas – Maine

Posted on by Ntang

The painting is acrylic on canvas and was painted in Maine.  A few weeks ago I went out fishing with my husband out of Bucksport, Maine. We went very early and the sunrise was beautiful. I took some photos, and am using one of these to create this painting entitled “Verona Rising”. We were off Verona Island, Maine,  at the time. It’s not quite finished but this is the process and progress so far.

 

 

 

 

Habitat for Humanity Door Auction

Habitat for Humanity Door Auction

Posted on by Ntang

This spring I participated in a fundraiser for our local Habitat for Humanity through the Bangor Restore. In this fundraiser, local artists select a door from the Restore and turn it into a piece of art. These doors are then raffled off to raise  money for the organization.

In painting this door I became obsessed with painting Koi ponds and have created a number of pieces in glass with this same theme.

My door is ready and installed at Mason’s brewery in Brewer,  Maine. For just $5 you can buy a raffle ticket, support this great organization, and possibly win this great piece!

Dave Shove and Tina Fife sponsored this door, transformed by artist Nancy Tang. It’s on display for you to see at Mason’s Brewing Company until July 11. Buy chances to win it for $5 each and see all the doors at www.habitatdoors.org.

koi pond door
Habitat for Humanity painted door

What a whirlwind!

What a whirlwind!

Posted on by Ntang

Tis the season in Maine where artists and craftspersons are run ragged. Time to set up all the artisan cooperatives, set up shows at galleries and begin doing outdoor shows. All that work to create and send out into the world in hopes of it finding new homes and bringing in income that we have not had over the winter months. For me, personally, the last few months have been crazy!! I’ve joined a number of new arts organizations, each of which has shows I needed to create work for and deliver. Then I’ve been central to setting up a new artisan cooperative in Belfast, Maine and that takes a lot of work.. finding artists to commit to participate, getting the space ready, having artists bring in stock, setting up the gallery, sending out press releases.. you name it! We had our grand opening last Friday and it was great!  I’ve had to set up my  own work in 7 galleries!

In addition, I’ve painted door for a Habitat for Humanity auction, created a new line of enamel & glass paintings and tried to do some glass casting with limited success.. ok total failure….

Now all the galleries are up and running, stocked and open! It’s time to work in most of them… this week I’ll work 2 days in Belfast, do a farmers market on Thursday, go to an opening in Rockland on Friday… I can’t look past that! And in all this I’m trying to get my garden/farm planted, weeded and ready to go for the season!! Oh, and make more stock for all those places!!! I figure I can rest… in November…..

Whew!!

Rejection

Rejection

Posted on by Ntang

So as an artist we have to harden ourselves to rejection. Rejection from galleries, from shows, from harsh words given by strangers.. it’s just a part of the world we choose to live in. Here’s the thing – every great artist suffered rejection from someone or some group.  The fauvists, which literally  means Wild Beasts, were rejected by the established artists.  Only yesterday my painting was rejected from a gallery in which I show my glass art and jewelry. It’s a cooperative gallery so normally one would think they would embrace new work by a member. But one would be wrong.

I was also rejected by another coop gallery today. They were very nice but felt my work was too similar to the work of another member. Here’s the thing – be nice, be graceful because you never know when there will be another opportunity there.

Was I angry? Was I hurt? Was I disappointed? Oh sure. We all have egos which bruise easily. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years so I’m no stranger to rejection. The thing to remember is rejection is just the opinion of others and sometimes that opinion has absolutely nothing to do with you.  They have too many painters, potters, jewelers.. w/e… they are predisposed to realism and  don’t like abstract art….there can be a million reasons you don’t get ‘in’ that have nothing to do with your work or yourself.  The important thing is to have faith in your own work because somewhere out there you have an audience that will love what you create. Do not give up. Do not listen to the nay sayers. Try to find the lesson in the rejection; maybe you  need better frames (although that’s a pretty shitty reason to reject the actual art), maybe you need to refine something.. w/e try to learn something. Create and carry on.  You will find your way. I know I will not give up painting and I will not give up trying to get it shown. Somewhere someone will love it. The more you get rejected the more you’ve tried! Keep trying!! Eventually you will find your home!

So stay strong people! Have faith in your own creations! I believe in you!

~Nan

Meadow Brook

Meadow Brook

Posted on by Ntang

I thought you might like to see the newest painting as I’m working on it. It may ultimately look almost nothing like this but I document the process along the way. This is a painting of the flooded and frozen Meadow Brook which borders my property. I was intrigued by the different colors created by the melting, refreezing & snowfall on the frozen brook. I’ll post the final version when completed.

And I think it’s finished; I have to let it sit a few days and mull it over.