About

ARTIST STATEMENT

I’m Nancy Lorentz, a plein air painter captivated by the Chesapeake Bay’s shifting light and wild, restless motion. From my home on Tilghman Island, I create two kinds of landscapes: traditional plein air paintings that capture nature’s raw beauty and glitched plein air pieces that weave digital distortions to explore technology’s dance with the natural world. Inspired by my youngest daughter, I also paint Irish Step Dancers, sometimes with glitched effects, capturing echoes of Celtic tradition and culture. Whether rendering cloud-swept skies, pixelated tides, or a river of dance, I freeze moments of time. My art invites the viewer to pause and reflect while the beautiful vibes of nature, technology, and humanity wash over them. 

BIOGRAPHY

An artist based in Tilghman Island, Maryland, and Alexandria, Virginia, Lorentz grew up in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. She has lived in France, Germany, and Belgium, shaping her global perspective. She holds a BA from Millersville University, an M.Ed from Marymount University, and studied at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Her plein air paintings, inspired by the Chesapeake Bay, have been exhibited at venues like the Art League, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, the Easton Art Academy’s Members Exhibit, and SMAL exhibitions. Featured in the Washington Post, Vice News, NoVA magazine, and a TEDx talk, she’s passionate about art‘s power to connect. When not painting, Lorentz is with her beloved husband, three darling children, and two rascally German shepherds, drawing inspiration from family and nature.

MEMBERSHIPS

• Plein Air Painters of the Chesapeake Bay
• The Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD
• The Art League, Alexandria, VA
• Vienna Arts Society, Vienna, VA
• The Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County, PA
  

AWARDS & JURIED SHOWS

Honorable Mention “Future Memory Dance” (Oil on canvas) Open Exhibit, The Art League, Alexandria, VA. May 2025. Judge: Johanna Goodman

”The Mirthful Smirk” (oil on board, SOLD) Open Exhibit, The Art League, Alexandria, VA. March 2025. Judge: Susan Worsham.

”With Love, From Ireland” (mixed media on parchment) SMAL Mixed Media Exhibit, St Michaels Community Center, January 2025. Judge Diane DuBois Mullaly, Academy Art Teacher and award-winning Artist 

“Rehearsal Break” (mixed media on canvas board) Wim and Whimsy Exhibit, The Art League, Alexandria, VA, September 2024, Judge: Elissa Armstrong, VCU Art Professor 

 “Under the Stars, Above a River” (oil on canvas) Landscape Exhibit, The Art League, Alexandria, VA, June 2024, Judge: Carlton Fletcher 

Honorable Mention “Veil Over San Domingo Creek” (oil on canvas), The Art League, Alexandria VA, Apr 2024, Judge: Margaret Winslow, Curator of Delaware Art Museum 

Honorable Mention, "Lady Choptank Rolling Past Tilghman Island at Dawn" (Mixed Media Assemblage), SMAL Mixed Media Show, Jan 2024, Judge: Holly Jackson, Mixed Media Textile Artist 

1st Place “Deer on Langdon Farm” (oil on canvas) SMAL Nov. 2023, Judge: Meg Walsh, Instructor at Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD

Newport Outdoor Art Festival, Newport, RI, 1996

All-Media Membership Show, The Art League, Alexandria, VA, June 5 - July 1, 1991, Judge: Jeremy E. Adamson, Curator, Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art. "Gate" (Oil on Canvas) and "Fenster" (Oil on Canvas) 

All-Media Membership Show, The Art League, Alexandria, VA, May 8 - June 3, 1991, Judge: Dr. Jeff Donaldson, Acting Dean, College of Fine Arts, Howard University. "Yellow Edifice" (Oil on Canvas)

PRESS

Eye on Annapolis (October 25, 2024) Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum hosts Holiday Sea Glass and Coastal Arts Festival by 

Dorchester Banner (October 24, 2023) In Plein Sight: Harriet Tubman's Landscape by Debra R. Messick 

NoVA Magazine (February 12, 2020) Meet the Local Seniors Proving When It Comes to Good Health, Age Is Just a Number by Jennifer Zeleski

TEDx Talk (October, 2019) Are You Trippin': Parkour and Falls Prevention "In a TEDx Talk that challenges you to reimagine parkour and aging, Nancy Lorentz describes her own parkour journey, how one program has now been proven safe for senior citizens, and why we should all be doing it." 

Vice News (September 12, 2029) These Old People Love Doing Parkour! (And Nobody Broke A Hip) by Kathleen Caulderwood, Oliver Noble, and Michael Shade

Washington Post (November 22, 2015) As Parkour Grows Up, Its Devotees Mature by Victoria St. Martin 

The Green Light (Fall, 1996) Point Houses Featured in Artist‘s Current Work, by Anita McAndrews, p. 9