Creations; painting, designing, building in Mexico

About Nanci Closson

Born: 1943 Durham, North Carolina
Education: BA degree, Commercial Art: Purdue University
Graduate studies, ceramic sculpture, printmaking; University of Arizona, Tucson
Media: Acrylic watercolor, acrylic and mixed media on canvas, ceramic sculpture

Major national exhibitions and membership:

  • American Watercolor Society
  • Watercolor U.S.A.
  • Rocky Mountain National Watermedia
  • National Watercolor Society
  • Audubon Artists
  • Hoosier Salon
  • Marietta Mainstreams

Membership and/or awards in all of the above.

Publications:

  • Master Class in Watercolor, by Edward Betts, Watson Guptill
  • Watercolor, the Creative Experience, by Barbara Nechis, North Light

Nanci Blair ClossonNanci Blair Closson, (alias N. Blair Closson).  I’m a transplant from Indiana to Tucson, Arizona in 1978 with a move to Mexico and San Miguel de Allende in 1992,  and considerr myself a Hoosier first.  Growing up, post university and first marriage years were spent in Indiana, and my early art work reflects those influences. Three years spent in Panama and the Canal Zone (1966-1969) provided strong direction for later drawings and paintings moving into acrylic media on canvas and paper.

During the late 70’s and 80’s styles and techniques were purposely varied: hard-edged watercolors spliced with hazy floating forms; bold textured abstracts in acrylic sweeping across large canvases, batik-like characteristics defined still other more realistic landscapes.

As an expatriate to Mexico in 1992, I left the selling/U.S. gallery representation and watercolor exhibition circuit, putting painting as a vocation on hold indefinitely and until now (2009) painting is still on the sideburner.

My creative energy once settled  in Mexico turned to design, landscape, building by hand, and Tres Casitas was created in 1994.   It’s my own sculptural living environment and home (The Treehouse casita) when I am in San Miguel and guest house for weekly vacationers to San Miguel de Allende .  Besides design and on the job participation during construction, my personal contribution is the talavera tile work in 5 baths and the 3 kitchens.

I probably most enjoy creating living spaces from start (plans on paper) to finished the finished product (furnished, ,decorated and landscaped).  After Tres Casitas,  I still enjoy contributing with mosaic tiling and Talavera throughout new projects for walls, walks, baths and kitchens.   And occasionally I paint for fun and fire Raku sculptural ceramics for pleasure.

Other “small space property” projects followed for San Miguel, remodelling or restoring  until late 2003, with extension to the Pacific coast of Mexico north and south of Puerto Vallarta.  Now in late 2009 I’m back in San Miguel for the time being, considering a shift back to painting or ceramics and taking a break from building.  My son, Corey is building our 4th house for sale (eventually) in Sayulita, Nayarit and my personal building projects on hold are a home in the sleepy fishing village of La Manzanilla and a tiny beach bungalow in Tenacatita, both on the Costa Alegre about 3 hours south of Puerto Vallarta.

I enjoy most summers in Culver, Indiana at Lake Maxinkuckee and the rest of the year “around” Mexico.