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Biography

I started drawing and painting when I was seven because it was a way of communicating with my family. Raised in San Diego, my parents had no idea I was born Deaf until I was six. The doctor originally said I had a learning disability and speech impairment. Not quite so.

I was always creating new pieces, and exhibited my artwork—everything from painting rocks to canvases—at art fairs, in contests, and at galleries.  I studied graphic design and painting at the National Technical Institute of the Deaf and Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and earned a master’s degree in computer graphic design and painting.

In 1979, I had my very first showing at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. I then was among 12 Deaf artists participating at the Heart, Eye, Hand exhibit held at the Los Angeles-based Ankrum Gallery. This gallery was owned by Joan Ankrum who is Morris Broderson’s aunt. It was at this point in my life that I stopped painting. I didn’t have full confidence in my chances at success in the art community, so I chose to become a 9-to-5 employee.

I worked as a graphic designer for Xerox in San Diego. My next job was as a palette designer for 20th Century Fox, where I created color palettes to colorize classic black and white films such as Casablanca, King Kong, Sherlock Holmes, and numerous John Wayne films. In 1991, I moved to Seattle, where I worked as a graphic designer for Microsoft Corporation designing Windows icons. I unexpectedly got laid off.

Throughout my career, I had continued to long for painting. The layoff was the perfect opportunity for me to take workshops and courses in preparation for my return to painting. I knew I had revived my art career when I placed second in the Northern Colorado Regional Juried Show in the oil painting category. For eight years, I painted everything from portraits to landscapes and cityscapes to still life.

In 2010, I became involved in Deaf Art, and realized I had discovered my passion. Why did I waited this long to start Deaf Art?  Because I thought I would not do well in that field. Much to my delight, I received a Puffin Foundation Grant to study, through painting, Deafhood, Deaf culture, audism, Deaf history, Deaf politics, American Sign Language and bilingualism. I have been inspired to create new paintings on a weekly basis, which are posted on this website.

The Art Process

I am greatly influenced by the Fauvism Movement—specifically, Henri Matisse, Andre Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck. Another influence is the Neo-Expressionist Movement, including Jean-Michel Basquiat and Matt Sesow.

I am also influenced by the De Stijl movement, and this art allows only primary colours and black and white, only squares and rectangles, only straight and horizontal or vertical line. In my paintings I used not only horizontal and vertical lines but also diagonal shapes. I use primary colours, and use black and white pigments for saturated color areas. Strong brushstrokes make paintings expressive, emotional and even at times disturbing. I use these styles into my De’VIA art work. I do quite abit of ‘direct painting,’ which is done in a single application. That means using a one-opaque painting technique. Painting from light to dark. Vary brushstrokes, thick, thin, short, long marks, etc. Alot of 'scrubbing' in many directions. I do 'scumbling' with a dry brush, too. That means to soften the color of a painted area by overlaying parts with opaque color applied lightly with an almost dry brush. I start with painting the background to the foreground. I mix the colors primarily from the palette.

The subject matter of the paintings are related to Deaf Politics, History, Art, Deaf culture, Linguistics, Audism and Deafhood. Very few paintings show my own Deaf experiences thru oppression, mainstreaming and the Deaf community. Many of them are the ones that I have seen happening today through the second wave of Oralism, Deaf Education, cochlear implant on Deaf babies, and many more.

I do resistance and affirmation art as two themes. In resistance art, my paintings show audism, mask of benevolence, linguistic controversy, oralism, mainstreaming, genetic engineering, politics and identity. In affirmation art, my paintings show empowerment, ASL, Deaf culture, metaphors, identity, acceptance, Deaf history, Deafhood and Deaf art.

I show hidden messages in paintings. I create symbols, metaphors as well as hidden pictures. Colours that I use represent certain meanings.

My goal, aside from obviously expressing myself, is to show appreciation for the Deaf community and to call to their attention and to convey my Deafhood journey and experiences.

The Definition of Art

I use symbols in the paintings.

Example and Meaning of Symbols:

blue tape: tied-down, trapped, crossed-out, mask of benevolence, labeled, ASL prohibited.
yellow light: so that Deaf people can see.
yellow color: Hope.
red/white circle: attention, target, focal point.
light gray-blueish color: Deafhood.
DNA structure: genetic engineering, Deaf Hereditary, Deaf gene, Eugenics.
hand: Deaf people, Deaf pride, Deaf culture.
ear, mouth: Audism, oralism, genetic engineering, Eugenics, AGBell.
red/blue eyebrows: my art style.
heart: Deaf heart, Deaf mind.
strings: tied down, audism, trapped.
cracks: almost extincted, disappearing and warning.
bandaid: warning, safe, protection.

Deaf Art and De'VIA

What do I see in Deaf Art and De’VIA (Deaf View/Image Art)? Is there a difference between the two? I see both somewhat similar. Deaf Art can be an image based on Deaf issues or it can be any subject matter and be created by a Deaf artist. De’VIA is an art movement of Deaf Art. It is the work of art based on Deaf experienced issues. I can visually see ‘Deaf’ in the artwork by Deaf artists using colors, shapes and style. Deaf Art is the work on how Deaf artists use their visualization, imagination and visual thinking. Deaf artists gather information much differently than other artists. Deaf artists rely heavily on their eyes. It is the mind through eyes; a Deaf mind. The eyes pick up details instantly and observe them intensely.

There are three themes in De’VIA:

Resistance art through audism, mainstreaming, isolation, politics, etc.
Affirmation art through identity, empowerment, Deafhood, Deaf Culture, etc.
Liberation art through acceptance through emotional experiences. It is a combination that blends resistance and affirmation into one theme; Liberation art.

De’VIA as ‘Deaf View’ with their eyes and 'Image Art' as visual art with a Deaf mind.

 

Curriculum Vitae 1978-2011

Awards, Honors and Grants
2011 RIT American Sign Language and Deaf Studies Community Center, 'Sign Internationally' painting as its logo, Rochester, NY.
2010 Sorenson Communications, Judging for the Deaf Youth Art Contest, Salt Lake City, Utah.
2010 Nancy Rourke has received the Puffin Foundation, LTD. Artist Grant. See info.
2010 Wells Fargo Ski Cup, Ski Up High poster print autograph, Winter Park, Colorado
2009 Panel discussion/Hands-on at Innovation & Creativity at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY.
2008 Heartland Arts Festival Southeast Nebraska Regional Program for the Deaf Students, Lincoln, Nebraska
2006 Juried Sweet-Art Show, Loveland, Colorado merit
2005 Celebrate America, Detroit, Michigan second
2005 Juried Sweet-Art Show, Loveland, Colorado second
2002 Regional Juried Show, Loveland, Colorado second
2002 Edmund Lyon Memorial Lectureship, Rochester, New York
(click on link to see website)

Solo Exhibitions
2012 Artist of the Month, Ziggi's Coffeehouse, Longmont, Colorado.
2011 Featured Artist, Deaf Arts Festival, Brooklyn, Michigan
2011 Nancy Rourke - The Expressionist Paintings Booth at Rainbow Alliance for the Deaf, Denver, Colorado
2011
Nancy Rourke - The Expressionist Paintings Booth at DeafNation Deaf Expo, Riverside, California
2010 Solo Show - 'Paintings about Deafhood, Deaf History and Audism', Dyer Arts Center at NTID/RIT, Rochester, NY
2010 Nancy Rourke - The Expressionist Paintings Booth at DeafNation World Deaf Expo, Las Vegas, Nevada
2010 Featured Artist, Mandolin Cafe, Loveland, Colorado
2009 Featured Artist, D-PAN, Deaf Professional Artists Network online gallery
2009 SOLO of Nancy Rourke's Deaf History and Deaf Culture at Colorado Association of the Deaf, Loveland, CO
2009 SOLO of Nancy Rourke's Joie de Vivre 2 at Alliance Franchaise Denver in the Santa Fe Arts District, Denver
2008 SOLO of Nancy Rourke's Joie de Vivre at Access Gallery in the Santa Fe Arts District, Denver, CO
2007 SOLO of Nancy Rourke's work at Kalediscope Gallery #113 in Bassett, Nebraska
2007 Featured Artist, Studio 6 Coffeehouse at Nine10 Arts, in the Santa Fe Arts District, Denver, CO
2007 Artist of the Month, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Loveland, Colorado
2006 Featured Artist, VSA arts Access Gallery in the Santa Fe Arts District, Denver, CO
2005 Featured Artist, VSA arts Access Gallery in the Santa Fe Arts District, Denver, CO
2004 Featured Artist, Lincoln Gallery, Loveland, Colorado
2004 Art Stroll, Loveland Museum and Gallery, Loveland, Colorado
2002 Honored Lecturer Exhibition, Dyer Arts Center, Rochester, New York
1985 MFA Thesis Exhibition, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York


Selected Group Exhibitions
2011 Deaf Introspective, Two Deaf Artists Show at Dyer Arts Center, NTID/RIT, Rochester, New York
2011 De'VIA Art Show at Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center, Frederick, Maryland
2010 'Honoring Deaf People in their Community' Deaf Awareness Month at Front Range Community College, Westminister, CO
2010 ADA 20th Anniversary Celebrate, Nancy Rourke Expressionist Paintings Booth and Show, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO
2010 French Summer Soiree, Alliance Franchaise Denver, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO
2010 99 Pieces of Art on the Wall, VSA arts Access Gallery in the Santa Fe Arts District, Denver, CO
2010 Two Deaf Artists Show, 'On the Other Hand', VSA arts Access Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2010 Fellowship for The Foundation for Children in Need, Arlington Heights, Illinois
2009 Black Diamond Ball, Broncos Invesco Field Mile High, Denver, Colorado
2009 De'VIA Deaf Artists Show, National Center on Deafness, California State University of Northridge, Northridge, California
2009 Dove's Benefit Dinner, Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
2007 June Juried Show, Lincoln Gallery, Loveland, Colorado
2007 99 Pieces of Art, VSA arts Access Gallery in the Santa Fe Arts District, Denver, CO
2007 Art Students League Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2006, 2007 Two Deaf Artists Show, The Children's Hospital Gallery, Denver, Colorado
2005 Celebrate America Deaf Art, Holley Ear Institute, Detroit, Michigan
2005 Juried Sweet-Art Show, Lincoln Gallery, Loveland, Colorado
2002 Regional Juried Show, Lincoln Gallery, Loveland, Colorado
1986 Twelve Deaf Artists, Ankrum Gallery, Beverly Hills, California
1978 Deaf American Artists, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.


Selected Bibliography
Art'Pi, Deaf French Arts Magazine, Paris,France, November 2011 Issue, page 8 of 'Ethnic Deaf' painting.
DeafLife magazine
, August 2011 Issue #188, Cover magazine of George Veditz painting.
Understanding Deafhood,
Clerc Scar's Laurent Newsletter February 2011.
Featured Artist-Nancy Rourke,
Deaf Studies Digital Journal, Fall 2010 Second Issue.
Our Bicultural Evolution,
RIT Athenaeum, October/November 2010. Cover Page
A work of art ,
The Tiger Beat Blog, Rochester Institute of Technology, University News, October/November 2010.
Campus Spotlight,
University News, Rochester Institute of Technology, October 2010.
Celebrate Deaf Awareness Month,
Sorenson Communications, September 2010.
Four Paintings on Audism, KISS-FIST e-magazine, June 2010.
Incompatible
,
Clercscar, Online Publication of the Signing Community, February 2010.
Meet the Artists- Nancy Rourke
, D-PAN Deaf Professional Artists Network November, 2009.
Spotlight on Nancy Rourke, SIGNews by Raymond Luczak 2007.
RIT/NTID Deaf Art/Deaf Artists, Deaf Artist in Painting., February 2005.
Deaf Artist Colorado in Art Registry, VSA, Washington, D.C., December 2005.
Deaf Woman Artist Receives Lyons Lectureship, Deaf Rochester News, April/May 2002.
Rourke Named NTID Distinguished Lecturer, RIT News & Events, Vol. 34, No. 13. March 14, 2002.
Signs of Success, Loveland Daily Herald-Reporter, Focus, Section B, March 4, 2002.


Lectures
2011 Hands-On Activity/Presentation on 'What is De'VIA?' at RIT ASL and Deaf Studies Community Center, Rochester, NY.
2011 Artist's Talk, at Dyer Arts Center at NTID/RIT, Rochester, New York.
2011 Artist's Talk, at Deaf Arts Festival, Brooklyn, Michigan.
2011 Video Presentation with Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky.
2011 De'VIA Talk, at The Delaplaine
Visual Arts Education Center, Frederick, Maryland.
2011 Artist's Talk, for the Deaf Culture Studies at Pikes Peak Community College, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
2010 Panel discussion at Denver Arts Week on 'THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON ART', Denver, Colorado.
2010 Artist's Talk, at Dyer Arts Center at NTID/Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York.
2009 Panel discussion at Denver Art Museum on "Universal Design" for the Disabled, Denver, Colorado
2009 Panel discussion/Hands-on at Innovation & Creativity at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
2008 Heartland Arts Festival Southeast Nebraska Regional Program for the Deaf Students, Lincoln, Nebraska
2008 Panel discussion at Colorado symposium "Art Works- a Conversation about Careers in the Art", Denver, CO
2002 Edmund Lyon Memorial Lectureship Award at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York


Selected Commissions
2010 World Deaf Golf at St. Andrews, Scotland, 11x14inch dry pastels on bristol board for the World Deaf Golf Championships, St. Andrews, Scotland
2009 Ski Up High, 18inch by 24inch oil on canvas for the Wells Fargo Ski Cup and National Sports Center for the Disabled, Winter Park, Colorado
2007 City Park, Denver, 24inch by 30inch oil on canvas for Women's Vision Foundation, Denver, Colorado


Permanent and Private Collections
Peter Wilson, St. Andrews, Scotland
Wells Fargo Bank, Denver, Colorado see painting.
National Sports Center for the Disabled, Denver, Colorado
The Children's Hospital, Denver, Colorado
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, Five paintings.
Saint John the Evangelist, Loveland, Colorado
American School for the Deaf, West Hartford, Connecticut


Memberships
Fine Art America, online Art Gallery
VSA arts, Access Gallery in the Santa Fe Arts District, Denver, Colorado
VSA arts, Artists Registry, Washington, D.C.
Artbreak, online Art Gallery
Nancy Rourke paintings copyright. 2012.
Last updated: January 29, 2012