NANCY LAMB (American, b. 1956). Ten Bucks Tonight. Oil on canvas. 36 x 36 inches (91.4 x 91.4 cm). Signed lower right: ...

Description

NANCY LAMB (American, b. 1956)
Ten Bucks Tonight
Oil on canvas
36 x 36 inches (91.4 x 91.4 cm)
Signed lower right: Nancy Lamb

Ten Bucks Tonight and Date Night by Nancy Lamb are companion pieces which depict a certain vanishing breed of Texan. Lamb uses vivid colors, intense areas of shadow and light, and painterly details like in the beer mug. Acute cropping which is intentionally awkward, extended formats that exaggerate the drama of her scenes, and the juxtaposition of spectacular patterns create dynamic compositions. They also reveal her mastery of the language of painting and enhance the impact of her subject.

Nancy Lamb has long been a fixture of the Fort Worth art community. She is most famous for her "social spaces" paintings. In these pictures, Lamb often captures the elite social set in their natural habitat-the cocktail party. However, she also enjoys painting people socializing in dives or playing dominos in a diner. This artist depicts Texans in ways which are not overtly "western." Her candid images are quickly snapped while holding a disposable camera high above her head. She often chooses to paint her subjects in moments of awkwardness or in a manner that reveals the person behind the public mask. She enjoys creating ambiguous vignettes in which the viewer must imagine their own version of the story. In the words of the artist, "I paint people un-posed and off-guard...trying to catch the true meaning of the subject in the moment...I try to capture a still-life of the psychology of this suspended expression and combine it with textures, fabric and designs that go along with the visual record." These two paintings represent some of her most popular work as well as one of her most ambiguous themes.

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