Nancy Baker
Eating Mist II, 2016
Pigment prints, glitter, Mylar and acrylic on hand and laser cut paper, museum board
43 x 33 x 3 in
Gallery Purchase during the 2016 Art Acquisition Party with contributions from Malu Alvarez ’02, Jane Avinger, Susan Beaumont, Armando Bellmas, Lydia Bittner-Baird, Chai Lu Bohannan ’14, Elizabeth Bradford, Caroline Brooks ’15, Im Chan, John Christian, Howard Daniel ’72, Dan Drayer, Rosemary Droney, Jennifer Sudul Edwards, Emily Mehta Farlow ’11, Donna Ferguson, John Ferraris, Monica King Friel, Anna Grumman ’19, Kate Hall ’16, Richard C. Halton ’77, Elizabeth Harry ’14, Scott Harry, Stephanie Glaser ’92 & Thomas Hazel ’92, Burkhard Henke, Joan C. Huntley, John David Ike ’13, Caitlin James ’14, Chandra and Jimmie Johnson, Amy Clemmons King ’97, Jamie Knowles ’10, Nan & Bill Loftin ’81, Fred Lopp ’63, Frank Lord ’89, Susan Norman McAlister ’85, Dan McLawhorn ’70 & Rob Hazelgrove, Louise Mohamed, Kate Nation, Sherry Nelson, Ginny Newell ’78, Madeline Newman, Lia Newman, Sara Nordstrand ’14, Elena M. Paul ’85, Annie Porges, Tatum Pottenger ’14, Sara Pottenger ’79, Jeff Prince, Julia Rich ’14, Sam Riehl ’15, Barbara Schreiber, Lucy Sexton ’16, Holly Sinkway, Tom and Kathe Stanley, Elizabeth Stern, Mary Taibl, Brad Thomas, Ian Thomson ’15, Bob Trotman, Linda Vista, and Russ & Lyn Bolen Warren ’83.
For me, Nancy Baker’s Eating Mist II, stands out for its color and intricate details. The more I look at the piece, the more shapes and structures I notice. The colors blend together as my eyes wander and study the delicate nature of the work. I am reminded of the work’s ephemeral qualities given the artist’s attention to materiality. Yet, there is also a sense of durability as the industrial-like lines coalesce into a sculptural piece. With further observation, photographs embedded into the plane of the work begin to emerge. A photo of trees hovers in the top left, fall foliage becomes clear in the middle, and rolling waves and sunsets complete the bottom portion of the work. The geometric shapes and hard lines stand in stark contrast to the more natural depictions of the environment, leaves, and water. These sharp structures create negative space amidst the multitude of shapes, colors, and forms.
For Baker, it’s this idea of combining objects that motivates her practice: “Underscoring the process of combining and interlocking forms in elegant configurations, [Baker] interweaves mathematical data in her constructions that speak to her need for stasis and a reliable reality.” [1] Having recently found herself in an urban environment, Baker is aware of the dominant forces of man-made networks. With this in mind, she is ultimately speaking to the dynamics of cityscapes and the wonder of “interstitial” [1] space within urban geography.
We were generously donated Eating Mist II during the 2016 Art Acquisition Party. The piece was included in Material Matters: Water, Pigment, and Light at the Van Every/Smith Galleries—and indeed, materials matter for Baker. That is most definitely evident. Read more about Material Matters and Baker’s work in the exhibition catalog below from the exhibition.
Baker received her BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Her work has been exhibited across the United States, including at Front Room Gallery, Brooklyn; Mark Moore Gallery, California; Marcia Wood Gallery, Atlanta; Greenhill Center, Greensboro; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh; 1708 Gallery, Richmond. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections. She has received many awards including North Carolina Artists Fellowships, the Tennessee Individual Artist Fellowship, and a NEA Southern Arts Fellowship.
[1] Nancy Baker. www.nancysbaker.com/page/about.
Emilie Hoke ’21