We would like to introduce you to our newest artist at Third and Wall, Nancy Ngo! Born in Chicago but transplanted to Arizona as a young child, Nancy grew up learning an appreciation for contrasting landscapes. She developed an eye for the difference in the way light reflects on different terrains in the country. Nancy returned to Chicago after high school and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis on Painting and Art History from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. And once again, she moved back to Arizona where she currently resides with her culinary artist husband and their three daughters.
Nancy’s awareness of the play of light and shadow and its effect on color plays an important role in her work today. The dichotomy of the natural desert landscape of Arizona versus the urban downtown environment of Chicago led her to a certain “no rules” style of painting. Her paintings are highly textured and raw, sometimes with an unfinished quality in which the work holds a kind of potential energy and freedom. Nancy continues to explore new avenues in her work, even with new materials. She is fascinated by the discoveries made while creating each new piece of art, allowing her style to change often in order to keep her painterly freedom.
What do you first do when you get to the studio in the morning?
It depends on the day of the week… ship day, prep day, planning day or painting day. Obviously, my favorite days are when all the canvases are prepped, then I get started painting right away! If nothing is prepped, I like to take care of regular business stuff, checking emails and updating my planner and goals for the day or week, and then I can get to work.
How many paintings do you work on at a time?
Too many! If I have an order, I will work on a painting start to finish with no interruptions. More often though, I have so many ideas, sometimes I prep too many at once and have them sprawled out all over the studio.
Do you have a dream project that you would like to work on?
Anything extremely large scale. I love to work BIG.
If you could paint with anyone, who would it be?
Oh my gosh, alive or dead? I’m inspired by artists of all genres… Kandinski, Egon Schiele, Michiko Itatani, Judith Godwin, Agnes Martin, David Hockney, Christine Tarkowski, Mike Kelley, Susanna Coffey, Bruce Nauman, Wolfgang Laib, James Turrell, Bill Viola… I could go on and on and on.
“Insight” 
“Road Trip I” 
“Longing I” 
“Whispering Rainstorm” 
“Clear The Air” 
“Inference”
What’s your favorite way of generating ideas and inspiration?
If I am away from painting (on vacation) for a while, I usually come home and paint in a frenzy. I also like to look at magazines of all kinds.
How has your art evolved over time?
My work is ever changing. It’s often reflective of, or in response to, what’s going on in my life. I think it’s definitely become more complex. I’m trying to simplify it again.
“Lollipops” 
“Dedicated To Spring” 
“Night Blooms I”
What do you like most about your work?
The layers and heavy textures.
What is one word that best describes your style?
Dynamic
Is there an idea you would like to explore?
I’ve been wanting to explore figurative work, but it doesn’t come to me as easily as painting abstracts.
What is your favorite time of day to paint?
Any time I can get in the studio.
Do you ever get “stuck” on a piece? If so, what do you do?
Yes! If I think a painting becomes overworked, I paint over nearly the whole thing with white and leave only my favorite moments.
“Cloak I” 
“Cloak II”
What is up next on your easel?
A few abstracts and a portrait… maybe.
“Low Tide I” 
“Low Tide II”
The images featured here are available in our Print-On-Demand collection. Some areas of our website are password-protected. If you are a member of the trade but don’t have full access to our website, www.thirdandwall.com, please contact us at customerservice@thirdandwall.com.