Born in Chicago, IL, raised in Arizona, Nancy grew up learning an appreciation for contrasting landscapes. She developed an eye for the difference in the way the light reflects on various terrains in the country. She was fascinated with the light and color and started to experiment with painting and photography in high school. Nancy returned to Chicago after high school in order to be immersed in the diverse art and culture of the city.
Ngo received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis on Painting and Art History from the school of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2001. Once again, she has returned to Arizona where she resides with her husband and two dogs. Nancy and her husband often travel abroad together for inspiration. Her awareness of the play of light and shadow and their effect on color play an important role in her work today.
The dichotomy of the natural desert landscape of Arizona versus the urban downtown environment of Chicago led her to a certain “no rules” style of painting. Currently her paintings have a raw, playful and sometimes unfinished quality in which the work holds a kind of potential energy. She finds great excitement and freedom in creating problems on the canvas, then solving them. With every painting there is an infinite number of approaches and decisions to be made. She is fascinated by the discoveries made while creating each new piece of art, and allows her style to change often in order to keep her painterly freedom.
