Nancy Tomazic, An Artist Inspired By Nature

Nancy Tomazic of Burton, Ohio, is an artist inspired by nature. Raised on a 300 acre working farm in Northeastern Ohio, Nancy grew up loving and respecting animals and nature. Her childhood included horses, farm animals, and exotic pets, as well as art. Her mother, an avid art collector, introduced all her children to fine art at an early age. Her two brothers are both very artistic as well, the younger one a well-known artist in Los Angeles.

A self-taught artist, Nancy has studied in Europe, living in England for five years. She has traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Far East, and is fascinated by different cultures, religions, and arts. Nancy is a sculptor and potter, and most of her work revolves around nature. She enjoys taking long walks in the woods, and then tries to express her relationship with nature in her work.

Nancy is drawn to nature's minute details, like the coloration of bark, the miraculous colors of even the tiniest flowers, light play on the field in springtime, and the colorful mix of autumn leaves. She finds the habitation of the smallest animals or insects fascinating, and studies them to better understand their world.

Nancy Tomazic has spent several years developing a new sculpting process, which allows the artist more freedom in developing pieces. She loves the sound and images of water, and has incorporated them into her pieces, as she considers it such an integral part of the scope of nature.

Nancy is also a self-taught potter. She says that for her, working on a wheel is a very Zen-like experience, in that it requires supreme concentration. Nancy has spent several years studying the purity of Japanese and Chinese pottery, and loves both the style and glazing used by ancient masters. So she tries to make pieces that reflect the simplicity of Far Eastern pottery. Nancy's pottery consists of both stoneware and raku.

Raku ware, according to Nancy, "is thought to have originated in China during the sixteenth century. Later, Japanese potters began using the process in making ceremonial tea bowls. Raku undergoes two firings, both at about 2000 degrees. Immediately after the second firing, the potter uses tongs to remove the pieces from the very hot kiln. Then it is placed inside a small chamber with combustible materials, such as paper, sawdust, pine needles, etc., and the chamber is sealed tightly, in order to deprive the interior of oxygen. This is when carbonization takes place, creating the unique glaze and crackle effects on the pottery piece."

Go To Page: 1 2