Nanci France-Vaz

"As a painter, my greatest desire is to express the human condition of strong women from past myths, poems, and classic tales using contemporary concepts and subjects. In a socially detached world, I intend to draw an emotional response from the viewer by evoking my subject's psychological moments and mood in the environment. As human beings, we have many layers, past and present patterns that are constantly moving from one form or idea into another." - Nanci France-Vaz

 

Nanci France-Vaz is a modern renaissance artist that uses allegorical symbolism to create visual stories on canvas. France-Vaz draws inspiration from the Pre-Raphaelite and Naturalist periods of art, poetry, and classic literature, and film. She combines her strong foundation in life painting with imaginative backgrounds fusing classical with contemporary realism.

The artist was born in Brooklyn, NY and moved to the UWS in Manhattan in 2002 to study portrait and figurative art. She was the recipient of the Rhodes Scholarship Award and earned a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 3D Computer Animation for Film and Special Effects.

France-Vaz has exhibited at the Dacia Gallery NYC, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Modern European Art for ModPortrait and first round of Figurativas,  Abend Gallery, Principle Gallery, Lovetts Gallery, Eisele Gallery, Butler Insitute of Fine Art, National Arts Club NYC, and Salmagundi Club NYC. She has had 3 solo shows. Her solo exhibit at DaciaGallery, NYC will be in October 2023 dates TBA.

Nanci France-Vaz has won  of many notable awards nationally. She is the recipient of the ARC Purchase Award in Imaginative Realism for the 16th Annual ARC Salon,  Best in Show Wausau Museum, 2nd Place Southwest Art Artistic Excellence, Len G Everett Memorial Award, Joseph Hartley Memorial Award, John Collins Award, Colonel George J Morales Award, PSOA 3rd Place , ARC Salon, International Artists People & Figures 2021, and Best in Show Portrait Award, Petite Gallery.

The concepts of her works are based on a moment in time, classical literature, film, and poetry, introducing a modern subject or twist to her story. Her intent is to combine hope, spiritual beliefs, and the human condition. Most of her models are professional musicians, artists, actors, and dancers.  The spiritual, the mystical, and the mythical have underlying tones and meanings left for the beholder to ponder and engage psychologically. Having studied film and Stanislavski Method Acting allows for a spiritual connection to her subjects expressing emotion and mood. Her study of lighting and movement, through acting, dance, and theater is the catalyst for creating a still image from a cinematic process.  France-Vaz's patterns of life express a life experience or moment of thought in time.

France-Vaz has been published in Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, ModPortrait 2020/2021,  American Art Collector, Southwest Art Magazine, , ARC Salon, International Artists, Realism Today, and Leonardo Guide Artelibre 2021,