Nan Byar

March’s Featured Artist

Artist Bio:

Nan Byars is a Charlotte NC-based abstract artist who has been making art her whole life as a way to grant “equal time to the right side of my brain”. Following a long career as an engineering professor and raising two children, she began making art in earnest after retirement, assisted by her muse, Rufus the tomcat. She is currently working in oil and cold wax on wood panels, and also enjoys printmaking and working with non-traditional materials such as concrete for outdoor art pieces. She is an avid gardener and has traveled widely, factors that influence her pieces and process. A passionate environmentalist, Ms. Byars donates all profits from her art sales to environmental and social justice causes.

Artist Statement:

My creative work is inspired by nature. Although my art is abstract, it includes and grows organically from elements and textures in the natural world. My approach is playful and tactile. I like to apply paint using rollers, stencils, stamps, sticks, squeegees, old credit cards, marbles, string, and of course, my fingers.