Featured Artist Nancy Nixon Ensign

Artist Nancy Nixon Ensign creates mixed media collages that invite viewers into mysterious, imaginative worlds. Visit her website to see more of her work.

 

 

I borrow from the past to create the presence of my work. Solitude in my studio feeds my spirit more than anything else. When the canvas calls, I simply have to answer.

 

 

After years of exploring different styles, I have now found the creation of storytelling through my art in collage. I start organizing my thoughts while I prepare large canvases ranging from 36 x 36 inches to 40 x 60 inches. Filling them with color, a horizon line, a cloud front and the next step in my creative flow.

 

 

My collage files are organized by subjects, and my inspiration files are organized the same: color and subject. Sourcing art books, museum, decor, garden and historical magazines, family photos, and ephemera I cut, collect, save, and file for future projects and ideas.

 

 

There are days when I am low on energy and I sit on my studio daybed and I look for source images for my collage works. It’s a time that I need to use wisely and fill with joy as I scour my new and old for future work. When I want or need to work small, I make giclees of my large abstract landscapes on stretched canvas and collage them to create a visual experience. These small vignettes become the tales of childhood fancies, dreams, and guidelines for my own happiness.

 

 

I wear many hats—professional artist, public librarian, and regional gallery curator—all while drawing deep inspiration from rural Western New York, literature, film, and dreams.

 

 

In 2023, my life turned a corner into the unknown when I was diagnosed with colon cancer, Lynch syndrome, and Muir-Torre syndrome. Navigating these rare conditions, which affect just 1% of the population, requires lifelong treatment at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center with no prospect of remission.

 

 

Walking this tightrope of uncertainty momentarily disrupted my creative focus, but art quickly became my anchor. Even on days when I cannot physically hold a brush, my mind is actively painting. My identities as a storyteller, reader, and traveler now converge on the canvas.

 

 

By stepping into my past, my childhood, and my future simultaneously, I translate an unexplored medical landscape into visual storytelling—sharing my journey and a path transformed with everyone who stands before my work.

 

Nancy Nixon Ensign invites you to follow her on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

 

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