Artwork copyright Nancy Halbrooks. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2002.

Solar Crows, 2001

Nancy Halbrooks
American (born 1953)

Location: Elma Middle School, Elma

About the Artwork

Solar Crows is a colorful gouache painting by artist Nancy Halbrooks. She notes that she started this painting in the summer of 2001: "When the tragedy of September 11th struck I was unable to generate new work. For the entire fall of 2001 I continued to work on Solar Crows, layering colors upon colors, dots within dots. The solar burst of color grew more and more intense, and the birds became more and more like witnesses to an event. Solar Crows became a place of solace, hope and renewal for me as well as a vessel for my grief and bewilderment after the tragedy.”

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Elma School District.

About the Artist

Ohio-based artist Nancy Halbrooks creates figurative and abstract oil paintings, drawings, and prints. Many of her artworks feature imagery of birds and explore themes of endurance, adaptation, and community. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Indiana University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1977. She lived in Seattle for 22 years during the 1980s and 90s.