WHO:                                                                    

Born in Bronx, New York, I attended the College of New Rochelle at age 15 to study painting and sculpture, after completing Bronx HS of Science. I am a certified computer animator, and singer-songwriter.  I continue to create new work and regularly exhibit in solo and group shows.

I've also lived in Europe and Thailand, and traveled throughout the U.S., Mexico, Central America, Southeast Asia, India and Nepal while painting in plein air, which has served the development of my painting style and sharpen my understanding of the cultural and spiritual diversity of the world landscape. I have come to realize that art is truly a universal language.
         
WHAT:

For decades I’ve been creating “Peoplescapes,” oil, sculptured characters and applied objects on canvas, addressing cultural, political and spiritual issues facing society.  By juxta-posing people in recognizable places and situations, each painting weaves together a story about contemporary life, filled with layers of detail, symbolism and humor.

"3d Abstracts - Plane slashing” is the latest progression of my 3D technique building up the canvas; lately I’m tearing, cutting and manipulating the plane of an existing painting, while integrating it with one or more finished canvases, then adding sculpture and found objects to create a new and cohesive piece.

As this work evolves, the experience is liberating, moving from chaos to destruction and on to an intuitive composition somewhere between abstraction and surrealism. Everyday, I take the brush to canvas and, although I am confronted with fear and insecurity, I also tap into a limitless source of imagery. In those moments, time falls away and it seems that the work creates itself.

WHERE:

RECENT EXHIBITIONS
 
"Love, Peace, Unity & Hope" Juried Group Exhibition, Manhattan Arts International  
"Spirituality" International Juried Competition, Gallerium - Canada
"Life, Death, Love" Art Collide, Finalist - International Juried Competition
 Manhattan Arts International, Associate Member Artist Gallery
"Herstory" Group Exhibition, Manhattan Arts International
"Food For Thought" Randall Museum, Group Exhibition, San Francisco, CA - through January 2025 "Gallerium Art Prize 2023 " Group Exhibition, Vancouver, BC - through August 2023
FAME Venue Presents "Peoplescapes" Solo Exhibition, SF, CA - through July 2023
Manhattan Arts International, Associate Member Artist Gallery
De Young Museum -Portraits of People, on-line
Art from Heart UK - Awarded Artist of the Month - December 2021- Slideshow
"Sacred Strands" i19 Gallery, International Exhibition - Oct - Nov 2021
"Inspirational Art in Mixed Media" Manhattan Arts International- Sept 20-Nov 20, 2021
City of South SF Cultural Arts Commission
        Award Winner -Study in Contrast - 3rd Best in Show/2nd Place 2d painting
SF Live Worms Gallery - San Francisco
April 6 - June 30, 2020 - Artists Sheltering in Place - Virtual
February 2020 - through March 2, 2020
January 2020 -  through January 26, 2020
October 4 - October 30, 2019
August 16- September 16, 2019
June 30 - July 28, 2019
May 9 -June 2, 2019
April 5 - April 20, 2019
"Earth" Hosted by Senator Scott Wiener
Climate Action Summit with Gov. Jerry Brown
Gov't Building, 455 Golden Gate, SF, CA
"Peoplescapes" Union Bank, 350 California Street, SF
"Nite Life" Hosted by Senator Scott Wiener
Gov't Building, 455 Golden Gate, SF, CA
"Global Warming & Water Wars: Vision of the future
Lysdor Art - International Group Exhibition
"New Beginnings" Manhattan Arts International


SELECT INTERVIEWS & FEATURES

Manhattan Arts International, February 2025

Horasis Global Meeting May 2022, Panelist -  The Arts: Acting for Equal Means

Horasis USA Meeting March 2022, Panelist - Illustrating the Art of Leading

Manhattan Arts International - Feature 2021 -5 creative and-ecoconscious
artists who use recycled material - October 2021

Reed Magazine - "Check, Please" - April 2021

"Not Normal - Art in the Age of Trump" (Publ 2020)

Art Saved My Life - Artzine - November 2019

Art Habens 10th Anniversary Special Biennial Edition -
       Nancy Calef Feature & Interview 2019

Artists for World Peace - Article - September 2018

Wake Up Screaming Magazine - Alchemy - June 2018

Healing Power of Art - Feature - January 2018

The North American Review - November 2017

Repurposed Magazine - Feature - October 2017

San Francisco Magazine, Modern Luxury - Table of contents Art December 2016

Quiet Lightening - Sparkle &Blink 81 - Cover Art -Jan. 2017

Q&A with California-based multi-media artist Nancy Calef
       by Michael Limnios-Ambassador of Greece Blues Hall of Fame - October 2016

Art Reveal Magazine Feature - June 2016

Lunch Ticket Magazine -- Spotlight "Peoplescapes"

Passport Podcast with Keith Breitbach 
       Episode #9 Stepping Stones-Nancy Calef 

Professional Artist Magazine Artist Profile - Feature

WHEN;  Full Exhibition History

WHY;   Because I have to.

Wikipedia - Nancy Calef

The Ref - NFT (original painting, animation & original music by Nancy Calef) copyright 2022

Nancy Calef Gallery  nancy@nancycalefgallery.com
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