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”I want to paint the way a bird sings”  Monet

Coming to the realization that she had a natural talent for painting did not come easy for Nancy Reed-Jones.  It was only after losing a child, and spending many months in a deep depression did her first painting emerge.  “I had never taken any painting lessons nor did I know the art of color mixing very well.”  Her first painting was of a serene seascape with the sun coming through the clouds (symbolizing the storm of life) and illuminating the water and beach as if to say, “The worst is over”.   So taken back by the ability she never knew she possessed, she took her new found talent to the hospital where her mother and sister worked as nurses.  She wanted to use the God given talent to help the patients somehow.  In 1993, in South Nassau Communities Hospital on Long Island she did her first mural for the cancer patients.  “I was allowed to paint directly on the walls in their rooms so they could see the scenes from their beds.”  Later the murals were used for “guided imagery” to help alleviate some of the pain the patients were having.

After being featured on the Long Island television news station channel 12 and in the Long Island Newspaper Newsday,  people  began calling for mural work.  Nancy studied oil painting at the Huntington Art League and took drawing classes at the college near her home, to improve and expand her skills.  She worked for many years on Long Island as a muralist both in hospitals and in private homes. “One of my most beautiful murals was the one I did in the Vanderbuilt Estate in Oakdale, Long Island”.

Nancy also used her painting skills in her profession as an addiction counselor.  “I taught people in recovery how to reduce the stress they were going through, by painting tranquil landscapes put to relaxation music.”  She has been using this technique ever since in her classes .

Six years ago Nancy moved to the Hudson Valley and has since joined the Wallkill River School . “I finally feel like a true artist because I am surrounded by some of the best talent in our area, from whom I am always learning”.  In 2010 Nancy was voted #1 Acrylic Artist in the region.  In 2013 Nancy was given the "Champion Of The Arts In Healthcare" award from the Orange County Arts Council.

“I think, I love plein air painting  the best of all.  It makes me realize that through my art I can finally use the talent God has given me to record one of the most beautiful places, the Hudson Valley, that he has created.

Email: Nartist57@aol.com

Please Note:
All rights  reserved. All reproduction rights are retained by the artist. Unauthorized reproduction in any form is strictly prohibited. All artwork and images are copyrighted  to  Nancy Reed Jones.