Nancy Tieken Lopez’s art is about connection- to a place, to the earth, to people’s lives, and to the past. Place is found by walking and learning- to see more, hear more, and feel more of the land that is around me. Place is discovered by a feeling, a personal connection made with nature.

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious; it is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.” Albert Einstein

There is a common thread running through all of her work- the materials, the rituals, and the connection to the earth and people. She weaves together my own visions and forms with ancient rituals and symbols to celebrate the beauty and power of nature.

The purpose of Nancy’s work is to re-establish bonds between individuals and others and individuals and nature. The inspiration for her sculptures, paintings, and installation work draws from the teachings of her mother, a poet and environmentalist; her father, the musician of the family; Cold Mountain Poems written by Zen monks, and the beat of the universe.

Nancy visualizes her artwork and framework of beliefs in the form of a mountain with multiple paths, where there is no one path to travel. The base of my work is its location in nature and the celebration of the land with it’s cycles of seasons, beauty and power. The body of the mountain is a spiritual connection to all living things. The top of the mountain is the belief that all living things contain the Numinous, a term I use to refer to a higher force, God, or Buddha. The peak is Divine Oneness. The whole mountain is to be enjoyed and explored. Discover what you will.

Nancy started art hikes when receiving her Masters of Fine Arts from San Jose State University over fifteen years ago. Nancy studies included an emphasis in bronze sculpture and installation art and lead to more ephemeral materials of earth installations with music, dance and poetry.

Nancy moved to Truckee 10 years ago and founded Trails and Vistas art hike in 2004 collaborating with local non-profits InnerRhythms Dance Theatre, Truckee Donner Land Trust, and Arts for the Schools. See Trails and Vistas for more information.