Nancy’s studio loft is located in the downtown LA Arts District. The warehouse red brick and cat walks lead to the 2nd floor and a beautifully painted piano, which Nancy used to explained the system of color she uses. It is based on simple physics. The colors of the twelve-hue color wheel are assigned to the twelve equal-tempered pitches in an octave of music. Both color and pitch move from lowest to highest frequency. Using the range of the piano keyboard, the hues of the low pitches are low in intensity and value, which relates to the rich, full overtones of the low frequency vibrations. Each pitch than becomes 1/12 lighter and brighter than the preceding one. The hues of the high pitches are very light just as the high frequency vibrations are thin and clear. If the system is logical the colors should relate harmonically in the same way as musical tones and translate into an accurate visual representation of the linear construction of the music, seen as a whole – all at once. Linear measurement represents meter and duration. Form and texture represent timbre and the intensity and layering of sound.
Nancy’s work is interdisciplinary and investigates musical concepts and theories, the relationship between color, form, texture, proportion and pitch, harmony, timbre, and rhythm. The content of her work also includes references to infinite cycles of time and planetary motion and the ultimate interconnection of all our perceptions as well as the relationship that exists between musical pitch and color.
