Nancy Oldham Seibert (b.1938) and Ned Seibert (b.1961)
Happiness in Purple, 2018
Materials: Acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 36” x 36”
Location at Summa Health: Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Tower on the Akron Campus (141 N. Forge St.), purple neighborhood, ground floor near "T" elevators.
This work was acquired as part of the Summa Health System – Akron Campus Wayfinding Project.
About the Art
Happiness in Purple, created by Nancy Seibert and her son Ned Seibert, showcases their dynamic collaboration in abstract artmaking. The piece highlights Nancy’s exploration of color relationships, particularly within the cool side of the color wheel: blue-violet, violet, and red-violet, hues that reflect the blending of blue and red to create purple.
Ned’s contributions add a dynamic energy to the piece, marked by vigorous, expressive brushstrokes and the pouring of vibrant colors directly onto the canvas, rather than simply applying them with a brush. This combination of methods brings a lively tension to the composition.
Nancy, known for incorporating found objects into her paintings, adds texture and depth with materials like sand, metallic minerals, metal washers, and bits of chain. These tactile elements give the piece a rich, layered quality, inviting viewers to appreciate not only the visual beauty but also the physical texture of the artwork. The multiple layers of paint and collaged elements create a relief effect, making the surface seem alive with depth and movement.
Though abstract art often moves away from direct representation, the Seiberts invite the viewer to engage with the composition in a more personal way. The diagonal lines of the canvas draw the eye, creating a sense of motion, while the raw brushstrokes and poured paint speak to the process of creation.
As with much of abstract art, the interpretation is open to the viewer. One might see shallow waves and eddies of water, glimpsing objects on the ocean floor, or envision an aerial view of a foreign landscape shaped by powerful water movements. Alternatively, one might simply surrender to the visual pleasure of the colors and textures themselves, appreciating the contrasts, transitions, and technical choices that make this piece a tactile and visual experience.
Healing Waters II, 2020
Materials: Acrylic paint and mixed media on canvas, 48” x 48”
Location at Summa Health: Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Tower on the Akron Campus (141 N. Forge St.), blue neighborhood, fourth floor, hallway outside patient rooms H4-101 and H4-102.
About the Art
In Healing Waters II, Nancy Seibert’s signature rhythmic gestures and delicate layers of paint harmonize with the more intense, poured areas of vibrant color and complementary tones that reflect Ned Seibert’s bold artistic style. The interplay of cool, softer hues below and hotter, stronger colors above is punctuated by a striking diagonal that draws the eye from lower right to upper left, guiding the viewer through the composition.
The use of sand, beach stones, and shell fragments, materials often seen in Nancy Seibert’s work, casts subtle shadows on the surface, adding depth and a sense of motion to the painting. This texture amplifies the dynamic quality of the piece, imbuing it with a sense of drama and fluidity.
The title Healing Waters II anchors the piece in the longstanding tradition of seascapes, a genre with ancient roots dating back to the first millennium BCE. While abstract in nature, this work evokes the power and motion of water, blending the natural world with artistic abstraction in a way that resonates with both the eye and the spirit.
About the Artists
Nancy Seibert’s vibrant and expressive paintings capture the essence of nature, often drawn from her experiences in Ohio and Florida. Working with bold color and sweeping brushstrokes, she incorporates natural materials such as sand from around the world, pebbles, seashells, and even fish bones, adding texture and depth to her works. Her artistic journey was influenced by a profound interest in calligraphy developed during her years living in Japan in the 1960s. Nancy’s paintings are characterized by energetic gestures, with each brushstroke reflecting her deep connection to the natural world.
In recent years, Nancy has collaborated with her son, Ned Seibert, bringing a new dimension to her work. Their collaborative paintings blend their unique styles, creating compositions that feel both familiar and fresh. The pair paints in turns, engaging in ongoing discussions to refine their vision and bring a balanced harmony to the emerging artwork. The collaboration is not only a creative exchange but also a reflection of their shared artistic history. Ned’s first exposure to art came from watching his mother teach art classes in their home.
Both Nancy and Ned are Ohio natives who continue to create in Northeast Ohio, with Nancy splitting her time between Ohio and Florida. Nancy earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees from Kent State University, while Ned, also a Kent State graduate, initially studied sculpture and painting. Recently, Ned has focused on creating abstract works, using gravity to shape poured paint and employing sun-dried paint techniques that generate a unique craquelure effect, adding texture to his pieces.
Their collaboration, as seen in Healing Waters II and Happiness in Purple, represents a rare and exciting partnership between mother and son, offering viewers a glimpse into the creative synergy that exists between them.
Where You Can Learn More About These Artists’ Work
Nancy and Ned Seibert, alongside Nancy’s husband Darrel, held a three-person show in 2017 at the Armstrong Gallery in the new College of Architecture and Environmental Design Building on the Kent State University campus. This exhibition marked another milestone in their collaborative artistic journey, following several earlier joint exhibitions in Northeast Ohio. Artmaking runs deep within this family, with creativity extending beyond the studio to include a shared love for sports.
To explore more of Nancy’s paintings, visit her website, where you’ll find a diverse collection of her works. Her pieces are also exhibited in galleries across Ohio and Florida, as well as in various corporate collections throughout Northeast Ohio.