Nancy Jackson Upon graduation with a liberal arts education at the University of Michigan-Flint, I earned a BA in psychology in 1982. I had suspected that further training as a psychotherapist was not for me, but finished my degree with a respectable grade point average, nonetheless.
For a time prior to graduation, I borrowed a 35mm camera from a friend and used it constantly. I experimented with many advanced amateur techniques and took additional training at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor. My favorite subject was portraiture, and I also assisted one of my instructors on several weddings. The following year, I instructed children on the use of cameras at a summer program at Community Presbyterian Church. I used my wages as tuition at Winona International School of Professional Photography, then located near Chicago. The program was an accelerated study in portraiture. My father and I built a darkroom and small studio in our basement and I practiced and honed my skills on anyone who would pose for me. I slowly acquired additional equipment. During this period I also taught arts and crafts to children in the Flint Community Schools under the direction of Jim McTiernan and John Nash. It quietly and deliberately became apparent that if I were to earn a living as an artist, I would need a store-front studio. I opened two consecutive studios in Linden MI, and worked there for five years. I have had exhibits at Left Bank Gallery in Flint and Art Galilea in Linden, as well as being a participant in the Whitehall, MI Arts Festival. I have had feature photographs in a Flint area newspaper and am an exhibiting member of the Greater Flint Arts Council. New affiliations include The Grand Blanc Arts Council, Swartz Creek Area Arts Guild, and Flint Institiute of Arts. |