I have over 30 years of experience including formal schooling, which includes years of self-taught skills, techniques, and concept design. I started in watercolor painting in 1986 and advanced into private lessons with an instructor and mentor, following graduation from high school. She was the sole person who encouraged me to move forward in my craft after discovering my young talent and ability to paint at an experienced level. I studied extensive color theory and design in junior college, followed by a transfer to a respected fine arts academy in San Francisco, California. Throughout my many years of study, I honed my skill set and technique in the abstract field quickly and successfully. My truest love within the abstract is the extensive use of color theory. I specialize in the use of texture, low relief, and unique metallic finishes. My style is true to my personality and character, and my talent in this field is truly a gift from God. I paint to live, and I live to paint!

I love being able to capture the beautifully bold, colorful details found in the flora and fauna around us that we miss most of the time due to our busy lives, filled with screens and non-living things. Surrounding ourselves with natural beauty brings peace and calm to our lives, giving us stability and forward movement. They deserve to be noticed and treasured. I love manifesting the plants and animals that have the most meaning and beauty to me, and believe others will find solace and comfort in those living things as well.

The female relationships in my life have always been important to me, but as I transition into mid-life, I am more aware than ever of their value. I am drawn to women who embody wisdom and strength, seek continued growth, and have empathy for others. These women have a beauty that transcends age. I seek to capture their spirit and energy in each portrait I create.

My experience traveling has exposed me to sculptures from around the world. No matter what culture they are from, the emotions they inspire cut across time and place. I paint my subjects as stone or bronze sculptures to freeze them at this moment. I speak with each woman to understand how she sees herself, her hopes and dreams, and the things that remain most important at this stage in her life. If she has passed, I speak to her children and listen to their memories of the deceased. I strive to immortalize the feelings I get from those conversations. Each inspires a different background; some natural and some abstract.

Artist Rev. Nancy Rouse: Survived the struggles of being born hearing-impaired by creating a window to her world through her artistry. Nancy’s art is a visual interpretation of how she perceives sound. Her daily challenges were exacerbated during COVID-19 having to spend months in solitude. She could not effectively communicate because masks made reading lips impossible. Nancy has learned to persevere and use her impairment to show us the world as she sees and hears it.

“I recreate static that I hear as I struggle to pull the messages forward to try and comprehend the abstraction. I wanted to convey to my viewers visually what it was to experience sounds as a deaf artist to interpret texture for vibrations in an altered juxtaposition.”

I find inspiration in nature, but I am also fascinated by the industrial world and the man-made. Contrast is an important tool in my art, and it’s fun to play with shapes and colors and see how they interact and affect one another. I have a desire to make the chaotic and inaccessible more available – yet, it is always tempting to fracture the known and “restore” chaos. My medium is acrylic paint. I also create collages from newspaper and magazine cuttings, and oftentimes a combination of the two.

My vision, both artistically and in all aspects of life is, to the best of my ability, thriving in my day-to-day life, focusing on what feels lighter and what else is possible. Maybe it’s not the easiest thing to do at times, but there’s great potential for that in creating my art!

Art is where my heart is, and for me, that place of comfort and security has always been found through creating art. For years, I’ve been using my art to express the depths of my soul: from the colors I choose to the brushstrokes, to every unique tool I use – each painting tells a story. Each piece of artwork is like a journey into my inner world, filled with emotions, feelings, and experiences that have been hidden away – it’s almost magical. My passion for creativity and transparency when connecting with the world has earned me numerous awards and exhibited shows – proving just how powerful art can be. I’m proud to continue pushing myself artistically to capture the beauty within our ever-changing world!

My art is a direct reflection of my two-part mission: to celebrate the natural world and to Do Good Through Art.

Drawing inspiration from solitary travels—whether hiking the mountains of Colorado or exploring remote National Parks—I seek to capture the profound stillness and transient light of the landscapes that move me. I focus intensely on the interplay of light and shadow, using soft pastels to translate the drama of skies, the serenity of water, and the intimate details of wildlife and wildflowers. Each finished piece is an invitation to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the quiet beauty of the outdoors.
Soft pastels are my primary medium, valued for their immediate, tactile richness and unique ability to layer luminous color. I also utilize watercolor and colored pencil, selecting the medium that best captures the distinct character and spirit of each subject.

This deep reverence for nature extends beyond the canvas: my work is driven by the commitment to Do Good Through Art. One hundred percent of the profits from my art is donated to charitable causes, ensuring that every piece sold is both a celebration of natural beauty and a direct force for positive environmental and social change.

My work is an ongoing attempt to make beauty and generosity inseparable.

I have often said, “If only my life could have an accompanying soundtrack.” If I can’t practically have this for myself, my art can. My full orchestra plays out on my 2-D surfaces. I am the conductor orchestrating shapes, colors, and movements. Some passages might be percussive, with reds and blacks and purples. Blues, greens, and yellows are the soft sounds of flutes and harps. In the end, I look at my 2-D visual score and sit back and listen.

The texture is the perceived surface quality of an object and is distinguished by its visual and physical properties. The use of texture and pattern can convey a variety of messages and emotions. The physical texture is the pattern of variations upon a solid surface that can be felt by touching the surface. Specific use of a texture can affect the smoothness that an object conveys. Visual texture or implied texture is the illusion of having physical texture. The use of both can be utilized to create a sense of personality, emphasis, rhythm, contrast, and various emotions.

My work explores bringing to light the everyday textures and patterns that we take for granted. I investigate this concept through the use of photography to grab attention to these systems of the world around us. By using photo collages to allure and a form of transformation I also investigate themes of organic vs. inorganic, and nature vs. society through texture.