Meet Nancy Polo
Stories are at the heart of everything in Nancy's art. A thread of logic that binds the most unlikely elements together makes a story. Providing the matrix for a child to discover the world is most satisfying. If we all approach the world with the curious wonder of a child, it automatically becomes a better place.
She has worked in a variety of media– words, clay, and paint. The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and Valli del Pasubio in the Veneto region of Italy are her homes. In her travels between the two and beyond, she looks for harmony. Most of the time she finds it in the woods of a mountainside, and in the stories people share. She seeks to contain this harmony in paintings. These serve as reflections of a greater peace and equanimity.
Color and light are her favorite tools as an artist. She uses them to lead viewers into and out of magical spaces. Illustrating books offers a more dynamic and engaging way to enthrall. She considers her audience to be ageless seekers, eager to carry magic throughout their lives.
Illustrator of Midnight
Creative Process
I am the daughter of a seamstress, knitter and crochet artist. My mother instilled in me from early childhood a deep need to make the world my way, one stitch at a time.
Inspiration is often ephemeral, but I use it as a way to gather wool. My first encounter with a song, the name of character, or the place of a story embeds itself in my mind. It takes on a greater dimension slowly, while I immerse myself in a hunt for links and connections. The relationships between the characters and spaces of Midnight come from careful distillation. I select and refine details from research on history, architecture, landscape, craft, animals and humans.
Connection to Dance
Movement is essential for me. Although I only lasted two weeks in Chris Collin's dance studio at the tender age of seven, I have a lifelong yoga practice. My relationship to my body hinges on maintaining mobility that provides a way to work through emotions. Whether good or bad, if they don't get physically expressed, they can stagnate my life as an artist. I dream of taking dance classes again, and/or rollerskating through my neighborhood in a carefully choreographed routine some day.
Thankful for Support from
My mother Liliana Castagna Polo, and Linden Street Mothers: Ginny Bradley, Sheilah Egan, and Connie Eddy.