"Painting like dancing, requires rhythm and timing" according to artist, Nancy R. Thomas.  Having had a twenty plus year career in Middle Eastern Dance, as well as visual art, Thomas feels qualified  to make this statement.
Thomas started studying art in the 1970's at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA and the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D. C.  After this, for a time most of her energy was consumed by her career in dance, which afforded much travel within the United States as well as Canada, the Middle East, Greece, England and other countries.
The careers overlapped in the early 1980's. While performing in the renowned Astor Restaurant in Washington, Thomas chanced to meet an artist named Alan Gramley who  taught her to paint in the style of the old masters using transparent glazes in oil.  From this point forward art became a focal point.  While dancing nights, Thomas attended school by day and earned an Associates Degree in Fine Art, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1990 from Northern Virginia Community College.  While in school, a "Project Study Tour" of Italy prompted Thomas to take up Watercolor as a primary medium which she used exclusively for fifteen years.
Thomas retired from dance in 2001 and resides on the Eastern Shore with her husband, where she continues her career in art.
Coming full circle with the onset in popularity of "Painting En Plein Aire", Thomas returned to painting in oils.  Her work reflects her love of dance, travel and local scenery.
Thomas owns Meadow Wood Gallery and Studio behind her home and  has recently opened The White Squirrel Gallery in Queenstown, MD in partnership with her sister.