I believe artists are interpreters of creation - it is our job to speak for the quiet things around us by bestowing them with life, color, and motion. Some artists can depict reality with breathtaking accuracy. However, I enjoy creating an expression of realism, working in knife and oil and in watercolor to create a new way of seeing. Nothing gives me so much peace as to lose track of the hours while I'm painting. Nothing makes me quite so happy as to see someone's eyes alight at the bright color in my work.

I was a bit of a late bloomer in painting. I drew and sketched in graphite and charcoal from age 5 to 30, when my New Year's resolution was to "break free" and begin working in color. I have always been fascinated by the rich colors of nature. I began by painting in strict realism, or "verism," but longed for freedom from the rigors of the vanishing point. My quest now is to invoke color with a sense of movement and of vibration.

Impressionistic works of Van Gogh, Seurat, and Monet inspired me to push color into movement. I have derived a great deal of guidance from my teachers, Robert Moore, Fran Chausse-White, Francois Arenas, Bob Rohm, Ann Templeton, and others. I strive to reach into the hearts of those who see my work and remind them of the beauty around us. The brown of a withered pear on the kitchen cutting board or the reckless abandon of thistles growing by the highway are subjects that can be filled with color and movement. Whether working in pencil, oil, or water, with brush or knife, art is something that owns me. It has taken residence deep inside me and never abandoned me, even in time of sorrow or tremendous upheaval. Sharing it with others gives me great joy. It is my hope that it gives the viewer joy, also.

www.nancymedina.com