Nancy Lorenz combines a deep understanding of post-war abstraction with a reverence for the craft and materials of traditional Asian art. In her work, a kind of reinterpreted Japanese aestheticism is often fused with incidental marks and unrestrained brushwork. Lorenz, a native of Plainfield, New Jersey, lived in Tokyo for five years where she absorbed the idea that luxurious materials can be used in a painterly, sublime way. Thus, her unique work blurs the distinction between fine and decorative art. After living in Japan, Lorenz earned a B.F.A. in painting and printmaking from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In 1988, she received an M.F.A. in painting from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She also studied in Rome, Italy. Lorenz lives and works in New York City. Her solo exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Art in California opened in April 2018.