Sobre el Artista
Nan Thibert is a Canadian painter who grew up with cultural and artistic diversity.
Raised in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains she learned tolerance from her grandfather’s example, and by playing with children from many different backgrounds (including Hutterite and Blackfoot Indian.) Childhood vacations were spent on his farm in Southern Alberta where, being an immigrant from England himself, he had many Hutterite, Blackfoot and immigrant friends. They helped bring in the harvest or brand and inoculate cattle because he had no sons to help with these tasks. Nan was often invited to their homes where she viewed spiritual and secular art, and beautifully decorated handmade household items. Highly sensitive and intuitive, Nan developed a great respect for these people, resonating with their love of the land and animals. To this day she is soothed by spending time in nature.
Nan’s high sensitivity and childhood exposure to different cultures and artistic traditions eventually won out over aspirations for a career in veterinary medicine. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Art in painting in 1988, she experimented with numerous media and techniques, eventually creating a body of work best described as surreal. While defining her visual language, a love of texture found its way into her work. Today she uses coarse Russian linen, paint mixed with assorted materials, glazes, dyes and a variety of media collaged onto the linen surface.
Nan’s love of cultural and artistic diversity has taken her to many parts of the world, given her a rich visual language, and allowed her to meet many interesting people. For example, in 2002 she received copyright use of the images from two books, Unicorns I have Known, and The Unicorn of Kilimanjaro by world-renowned photographer Robert Vavra. In 2005 and 2006, doctor and spiritualist Deepak Chopra invited her to present paintings created from these books at conferences he hosted.
These days she aspires to study with American classical realism master, Juliette Aristedes. Nan says:
“ I love and appreciate ALL art, but my heart is with certain painters, especially Vermeer, Carvaggio and Rosa Bonheur. I also love Van Gogh, Dali, Andrew Wyeth and western artist Bill Matthews. I hope by studying classical realism my artistic expression will flourish as never before.”
Currently Nan looks after her mother on the west coast of British Columbia and works as a private caregiver. She pursues art at every opportunity.