Nancy Hines’ work will be enclosed in the time capsule ‘Lunar Codex Nova Collection' 2021; she received Best in Show and 2nd place at the Texas Art Educators Showcase in 2021. Her work is displayed in the ARC Salon Exhibition Sotheby's NYC and MEAM Barcelona 2021 and she is published in Living Magazine 2021; multiple publications in the Fine Art Connoisseur and in numerous ARC Salon Catalogues!
Where do you pull inspiration from in your craft?
[I pull inspiration from] people! What my students are doing and thinking about; what other artists are doing and thinking about; conversations; stories; habits; [and] ways of expressing thoughts and emotions.
What is one of your most trusted resources (book, podcast, specific tool etc) in your craft/creative process?
Madeleine L'Engle - Walking on Water; Reflections on Faith and Art, [and] my computer and camera. I take about 2000 photos for every painting. I then plow through them on the computer, culling down [until] I get a group I like. I analyze what I really want from those. I occasionally combine elements in Photoshop, play[ing] around with contrast and color, until I have enough to go to the canvas.
Describe your career and relate how APU helped you succeed.
My career now is a combination of art and design. I worked as a graphic designer for three years, then took some time off to travel in Asia. This included some personal projects as well as expanding my freelance design and illustration work. APU’s professors made a big impact in developing my skills and self worth as an artist. Prof. Dave Carlson, Prof. Kent Butler Anderson, Prof. Jamie Sweetman, and Prof. Stephen Childs come to mind. They were all encouraging, thoughtful, and boundary-pushing. I liked the small class sizes at APU, and having the opportunity to have a solo senior show in one of the many galleries was a great experience.
What was the most meaningful experience you had at APU?
[The most meaningful experience I had was] bonding with my cohort! We were an exceptionally great group of people in my mind; we had a lot of fun, talked through countless problems, learned a lot about art and life, and grew spiritually.
How has your Christian-based college education impacted your career?
[Graduating from APU] definitely broadened my faith conversations and helped me look at faith a bit more loosely than my conservative roots had encouraged. This is a great help in public school and public college environments. [Now] I concentrate more on loving the individuals.
If you could give a word of advice to future and current students, what would it be?
Stay connected with those people you love now - even if it ends up being once every year or two - find them, and laugh with them and share what's going on now, and laugh about what went on when you were in school.
Please describe any charity or volunteer work you've done.
We are in the middle of my favorite charity project. My art students design and create original fully-lined Christmas stockings for underprivileged kids in the inner city of Houston. They spend time learning an unusual art form and creating [it] to give away. We [also] work with a high school [where we] create about 200 stockings, fill them, and give them away at a Christmas Carnival.
My other favorite charity project I do with my students is the Memory Project. My advanced students who volunteer receive a photograph of an orphan from somewhere around the world. My students create a small portrait of the child and send it in. The Memory Project goes back to the orphanage and delivers the original works of art to the kids there.
www.nancyhines.com | https://www.lunarcodex.com
