Nancy Nicholson

Nancy Nicholson is an artist with more than 20 years experience working in stained glass. Her work combines a fine-art sensibility with broad technical experience and craftsmanship. Nancy’s signature work is an ongoing series of cityscape panels that explore the layering of light, color and dynamic forms of the urban environment. On her Web site, Nicholson says, “I want to dispel the so-called ‘limitations’ of the medium and to push the boundaries of what has been mostly considered a decorative or religious art form.” In addition to her cityscapes, Nicholson has designed both traditional and contemporary panels for numerous environments including private homes, corporate offices, restaurants and schools.

TCR: How did you first become interested in and get involved in working with glass, and how did your work evolve from where it started to the work you create today?

NN: I got interested in stained glass while I was at the Museum School in Boston. It was a good place to start because it emphasized the art and design and pushed me to make work that was not traditional. I started doing cityscapes right away. I was really into underground comics so my first cityscapes were very comical and "cartoonish."

After 20 years, my skills have certainly improved, but sometimes that makes the work too tight. I'm always trying to return to the sensibility I had when I first got turned onto glass because it was loose and "painterly." I try to keep pushing myself to find new ways to show off this wonderful medium.

TCR: How have you pursued your career? Can you provide a brief timeline of when you got started, and how your career has evolved?

NN: I graduated from the Museum School in 1985 and was very fortunate to find a job at a very good studio in Cambridge. It was there that I was able to hone my technical skills as a craftsperson. For four and a half years I worked as a fabricator on custom residential pieces and also did a lot of restoration work. I guess it served as graduate school for me. In 1989 I joined another studio where I was the head designer and project manager for 10 years. The new work focused mostly on traditional design -- work that essentially mimicked what had already been done like Frank Lloyd Wright, Tiffany, etc.

When I moved to New York in 2000, I decided I wanted to push myself to make work that was more self-expressive. Since then I have been exploring the direction and process I use now, which is working with my photographs, then interpreting the composition into glass.

TCR: Who is the market for your work? What is your strategy for reaching them?

NN: Anyone who has an appreciation for art and craft and wants to make their home more personal with handmade objects. They generally find me through word of mouth or craft shows. I do about four or five a year.

TCR: Can someone incorporate your stained glass into a home that they are building or into an existing home?

NN: Most of my work is designed to hang in a window so it feels like an object or a painting. The average size is 18 x 24 inches.

However, stained glass windows can be designed as windows in new homes or to replace windows in existing homes. The window can be designed as part of an insulated window -- which is good because the cushion of air between the storm or outside window and the stained glass window helps preserve the artwork. The stained glass window can be designed in a frame so it can move with the homeowner.

TCR: Where does the bulk of your business come from? Is it wholesale shows? Direct to gallery sales? High-end retail shows? Commissions? How do you make your living from this art?

NN: I started doing the high-end retail craft shows about five years ago and have found them to be the most rewarding. I like the intimacy I am able to have with a client, meeting them face-to-face. They get to meet the artist and I have the satisfaction of connecting to where my art will end up living. This is important to me and to the people I've sold to. It is a very symbiotic experience. I sell my one-of-a-kind pieces and I also find commissions at these shows.

After a show, I do follow-ups with e-mails and phone calls. Each time I show, I send out a postcard image inviting people on my lists to the show. Over the past five years I've started developing repeat customers. Often someone will come back in consecutive years to make a purchase if they didn't buy the previous year. I sold a piece once just by sending a postcard in the mail.

TCR: You recently won an impressive award; tell us if winning an award has helped your career.

NN: I did win the "Best of Show" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show last November. I was stunned and honored! There was so much good work there. It was certainly good for my ego!

TCR: Do you see any business challenges specific to artists who work in glass? How have you overcome these?

NN: Yes. Stained glass is a medium that has a lot of stigma attached to it. People tend to have very dated associations with the medium and really haven't witnessed it as an art form. I have to learn how to educate my audience in how stained glass works in the home. I try to get good images of sold pieces in place, so that others can envision a piece in their home.

TCR: What has been the most difficult thing you have encountered in your work?

NN: It is still challenging after all these years to get started on new work -- the whole staring at the blank page thing -- especially after doing a show. It always takes me a while to switch gears from selling to making. I always feel very unsettled until I am well into the making phase, so I have to remember this and push myself to start.

TCR: What, in terms of business insight, have you learned to do or not to do over the years?

NN: Believe in yourself. If you love what you do, chances are others will too.

Stay focused.

TCR: How has the Internet affected your business?

NN: I keep an online portfolio of all my work at www.nancy-nicholson.com. It is very helpful in inviting people to look at your work. I don't sell directly online though, as I prefer the personal connection.

I also use the Internet to communicate with clients on commissioned projects. I upload images and designs online and we communicate by e-mail.

TCR: What is the next step for you?

NN: I would love to see my work in a gallery setting, as a one-person show and preferably with natural lighting.

TCR: What is your show schedule ... If you have one ... and where is your work available and through whom?

NN: I've applied to some fall shows but won't hear back until June. I hope I'll be at the Philadelphia Museum Show again. I've also applied to the Westchester and Washington Crafts Shows and will apply to the Smithsonian for 2007.

I post my show schedule on my website as it is updated.
www.nancy-nicholson.com/nancy/exhibitions_shows.htm

Nancy Nicholson Stained Glass
New York City
e-mail: nancy@nodisc.com
phone: (917) 696-7882
www.nancy-nicholson.com

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