Nan McCarthy

Nan McCarthy, creator of impeccably detailed fine art, has loved art since she was able to hold a crayon. Even at an early age, she preferred the skinny crayons, no doubt a precursor to her current use of very teeny paintbrushes. Her mother, who came from a family of artists, was her first art teacher. She took her first formal training during summer vacation with a local professional watercolor artist while she was in high school. She minored in Studio Art at Wells College, which led to Nan being awarded a work-study scholarship for one year at the Brooklyn Museum Art School. Over the years, she has studied with a number of different teachers. Several years ago, Nan retired from her day job, enabling her to realize a life-long dream of devoting her time to art.

Although she has worked in many mediums over the years, she now works almost exclusively in acrylics. She has made her peace with their quick drying time and loves their versatility. She uses many layers of thin paint on a smooth panel. She works from her own photographs and enjoys painting New England scenes. Nan revels in detail, and enjoys doing small and even miniature paintings. She considers "render," "tight," and "it looks like a photograph," to be compliments, while "loosening up" is not one of her goals.

Her work is in collections in Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and England. Over the years, her paintings have won several awards. She is a Signature Member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters (formerly National Acrylic Painters' Association), as well as holding memberships in the American Society of Marine Artists, Hillsborough Area Artisans, NH Made, and the Sharon Arts Center.