Nancy Tongue

Biography/Artist Statement

Nancy Tongue expresses her passion for color and light through bright impressionistic oil paintings, featuring florals and landscapes. Her work is at The Portland Art Museum Rental Sales Gallery, OR; The FREED Gallery, OR;

and “A Gallery” El Paseo, Palm Desert, CA.

Her work has won multiple awards at The Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, and has been featured in The Lawrence Gallery, The Antoinette Hatfield Gallery, Garden Gallery, Meridian Park Hospital, North Head Gallery, Sun Valley’s Sleeping Bear Gallery, Gango Editions, Earthenworks Galleries, and Gallery at Willamette.

Tongue has been the subject of a television documentary and her work has been featured in other media such as the book “Lake Oswego, A Great Place to Live”, the television show “Grimm”, and the Harrison Ford movie “Extraordinary Measures”.

Nancy’s paintings are collected internationally.

Select Exhibitions:

Grand Hyatt, Washington DC, 1996

Lake Oswego Library, 1996

Lakewood Center for the Arts, 1998 & 2001

"Metaphors & Icons", Oswego Heritage House

Clackamas Corner, 2000

"eMotion Pictures" a traveling, international show, 2001-02

Herbst Hall, San Francisco, 2001

Washington DC, Millennium Arts Center, 2001

Chicago Cultural Center, 2001

The United Nations, NY 2002

Featured in Oregon Home Magazine, May/June 2001

Palm Springs Art Museum, 2004

Plano, TX Art Assoc. 2004 Juried Show

Portland Open Studios, 2002-07

Society of Master Impressionists International Juried Exhibit , 2007 in Amarillo, TX.

Moscone Center, San Francisco, 2008

Chicago Cultural Center Spring, 2008

Northern National Art Competition & exhibit, WI, 2009

Lake Oswego Open Studios, 2023

Artist Statement:

Growing up in Oregon surrounded by lush natural beauty and endless places

to explore, I was always happiest when using my imagination and

creating!

This child-like wonder and fascination with the beautiful world God has given us has carried on throughout my life and is best expressed through oil painting; where I capture my exuberant feelings on canvas. Gardens and flowers are a special delight to me.

Oil paint has rich colors, sumptuous texture and comes from a time-honored tradition. It is slow to dry and can be shaped and moved in fluid washes or thick juicy strokes.

I am an optimist and joyously respond to color and the play of light.

Color can sing, bounce or whisper…

I can’t imagine making art without color!

The challenge of the creative process humbles and enriches me. I want to

bring joy to others when they look at my paintings. This emotional

connection is the greatest reward for me!

I paint outside weather permitting, or with music blasting out of my

“dream-come-true-studio” on top of our boathouse overlooking Oswego

Lake. Or, In some winter months I paint in my Palm Desert, CA studio.