Renowned Encaustic Artist Nan Tull Passes Away, Leaving a Captivating Artistic Legacy
Nan Tull, a highly acclaimed encaustic artist known for her captivating and thought-provoking works, has sadly passed away at the age of 85. Tull has left behind an incredible artistic legacy, with her pieces featured in permanent collections at museums across the United States.
Born on July 15, 1937, in Washington, D.C., Nan Tull was the daughter of Colonel Lloyd Harrison Tull, an Army Air Forces veteran, and Ellen Louise Dade Warfield Tull. After completing her high school education in Clemson, S.C., she attended Wellesley College, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree.
Tull’s passion for art led her to pursue further education, obtaining a master’s degree from Stanford University and completing diploma and certificate programs at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. During her time at Wellesley, Tull lived in Paris and studied at the Ecole du Louvre, becoming fluent in French.
Throughout her career, Tull primarily worked with encaustic, a medium that involves using hot wax mixed with pigment. In her artist statement on her website, Tull described how she constructed her paintings using multiple layers, creating textures and depths that were both visually striking and emotionally evocative.
Tull’s work garnered significant recognition and praise from art critics. In a 1986 profile, Globe art critic Christine Temin highlighted Tull’s ability to transform personal challenges into life-affirming art. These challenges led Tull to transition from exuberant watercolors to charcoal drawings and, ultimately, to large diptychs and triptychs.
The artist’s mastery of encaustic was showcased in various exhibitions throughout her career. In 2012, Cate McQuaid, another Globe art critic, reviewed Tull’s encaustic works at the Soprafina Gallery, remarking on the luscious texture and abstract quality of her Boneyard Series pieces. McQuaid also praised Tull’s bold and gritty approach in her 2012 show, The Future of the Past: Encaustic Art in the 21st Century, held at the Mills Gallery in the Boston Center for the Arts.
In 2009, the Danforth Art Museum hosted a retrospective of Tull’s work spanning from 1984 to 2009. Titled Nan Tull: Sensuous Wisdom, 1984-2009, Twenty-Five Years of Painting and Drawing, the exhibition showcased Tull’s ability to convey true emotions and her viewers’ subsequent journey towards wisdom.
Tull’s art often drew inspiration from the cycles of life. In one interview, she spoke about an amaryllis given to her during her hospitalization, which became both a subject and a metaphor in her work. She aimed to convey the message that with every death, there is also rebirth, particularly evident in the realm of plant life.
Beyond her artistic endeavors, Tull was known for her encouraging and positive presence among fellow artists. Ruth Fields, a friend and fellow artist, recalled Tull’s unwavering support for younger artists and her commitment to fostering creative perseverance.
Nan Tull is survived by her husband, Frank Wezniak, her daughter, Patricia Webster, her son, Doug, and her two grandchildren. A service was held at Boston’s Old South Church, followed by burial in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord.
The art world has lost a visionary in Nan Tull, whose legacy will continue to inspire and captivate audiences for generations to come. Her profound ability to convey emotions through her art and her dedication to nurturing the creative spirit will be dearly missed.
