Nan McCarthy, creator of impeccably detailed fine art, paints small and miniature works of art in a photorealistic style, based on her own photographs. Specializing in New England landscapes, she loves the technical challenge of reproducing the photograph with all its details.

Nan has loved art since she was able to hold a crayon. Even at an early age, she preferred the skinny crayons, no doubt a precursor to her current use of very teeny paintbrushes. Her mother, who came from a family of artists, was her first art teacher. She took her first formal training during summer vacation with a local professional watercolor artist while she was in high school. She minored in Studio Art at Wells College, which led to Nan being awarded a work-study scholarship for one year at the Brooklyn Museum Art School. Over the years, she has studied with a number of different teachers. Several years ago, Nan retired from her day job, enabling her to realize a life-long dream of devoting her time to art.

Although she has worked in many mediums over the years, she now works almost exclusively in acrylics. She has made her peace with their quick drying time and loves their versatility. She uses many layers of thin paint on a smooth panel. Nan revels in detail, and enjoys doing small and even miniature paintings. She considers "render," "tight," and "it looks like a photograph," to be compliments, while "loosening up" is not one of her goals.

Her work is in collections in Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, and England. Over the years, her paintings have won several awards. She is a Signature Member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters (formerly National Acrylic Painters' Association) an Associate Member of The Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington, D.C. (MPSGS), and a member of the Association of Miniature Artists. Nan also holds memberships in the Hillsborough Area Artisans and NH Made.