Listing of past exhibits, shows and other highlights coming soon.
Painter • Photographer • Author
Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Nancy’s passion for animals and nature was evident at a very early age. As a small child, she spent a lot of time outdoors, drawing what she saw and bringing home every stray she found.
Upon graduating from high school, Nancy was accepted into the Commercial Art Program at Richmond Professional Institute (now Virginia Commonwealth University). Soon thereafter, life intervened and the young artist exited the program to start a family. Raising and supporting her three children quickly became her top priority and, along with her grandson, Jeremy, continue to be the most important part of her life. Her paints and brushes shelved for years, she dedicated herself to her family, at one point working as many as 3 jobs simultaneously to support them on her own. Then in 1983, while on a business trip in Maryland, Nancy met her future husband, Ray. Less than a year later, she packed up the family and moved to Southern Maryland, where The Knudsen’s live to this day.
About the artist
Raising a family while owning and operating her own business left very little time for art. It wasn’t until the horrific events of September 11, 2001, that she once again picked up her brushes in earnest. Inspired by the tragedy, Nancy created three new pieces and gave one to each of her children as Christmas gifts. This, says the artist, was the turning point in her career.
Since then, Nancy Call Knudsen has become nothing short of prolific. Much of her early work during this resurgent period prominently featured her (4) labrador retrievers and her black cat, Pika. As her technique and reputation developed, she created more and more commissioned works. Lifelike portraits of pets & loved ones, both living and deceased, garnered a lot of attention and word travelled fast. Often praised by critics for the realism in her wildlife work, the artist is quick to offer that nothing matches the experience of presenting a client with a commissioned portrait of a loved one: “The tears of joy on their faces when they see it for the first time is better than any compensation I could ever receive.”