Nancy Pinney lives in Old Lyme, Connecticut, and is active in the town's historic art tradition. She
studied for six years at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, with a concentration on the figure, portrait and still life, ending with a year of intensive study with portrait painter Aaron Shikler. In 1987, after concluding her academic studies, she opened a custom frame shop which specializes in gilding and frame restoration.
Nancy is an artist member of the Lyme Art Association and the Salmagundi Club, New York. She works and exhibits with The Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, CT ; has exhibited with the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in London, the Kevin Butler Gallery on Martha's Vineyard, the Hoxie Gallery in Westerly, and has shown in numerous group exhibitions and auctions. In October 2001, she was awarded the first Lyme Academy of Fine Arts 'Distinguished Alumna' medal, and continues to serve on the alumni committee. Her work is included in the permanent collection at the Florence Griswold Museum, with a painted palette for " Miss Florence's Artists Tree".
In the fall of 2003, Nancy was awarded a residency at The Cill Rialaig Project in South Kerry, Ireland.
In July of 2004, a group exhibition of Cill Rialaig Artists titled "On Common Ground" opened at the Olive Stack Gallery in Listowel, Co. Kerry, and also in October at The Narrow Space Gallery in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. "On Common Ground III" brought the group together again in October 2006, at the
Essex Art Association Gallery in Essex CT.
In addition to painting, Nancy's recent work has included multi media projects. Her photography has been published in newspapers, calendars, catalogs and video productions. Works can be viewed in the artist's studio, which is located at the Velvet Mill in the Borough of Stonington Connecticut.
“The subject of my work had changed direction after leaving art school. Being trained as a figure painter, I gravitated to landscapes after taking a year off and traveling. Living most of my life on the east coast, I saw an entirely different world out west. The vast openness and mountains inspired me to paint outdoors. Coming back to coastal New England gave me a new appreciation for my home as an artist, and have been painting the lower Connecticut River Valley ever since.
Years later, I traveled to Ireland where I found a wonderful combination of light and atmosphere with such a diverse countryside, that I have made it a priority to return to paint there every year. I've found that I am drawn to preserve these places that I am reluctant to leave. My ultimate goal is to awaken the viewer’s perception of a recognizable image, and draw them into the scene.”
