We recently connected with Nancy Reyna and have shared our conversation below.
Nancy , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?
My first customer was my watercolor teacher!
After the self-portraits lesson in class I did three portraits from old photos of my children, finding that I enjoyed it and had a knack for it. My teacher then commissioned me to paint a portrait of her niece and nephew, insisting on paying me.
At that time I was a third grade teacher and I was encouraged to offer commissions to my fellow teachers.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My painting business is my “second act”.
I grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, always drawing, surrounded by a lush tropical world. A college friend once observed that I was able to “see beauty in a pile of leaves on the street”, and I realized early on that I needed to have beauty in my life.
Family, graduate studies, teaching, personal development, gardening, mistakes and successes, have brought me to the person I am now.
I have lived in Miami for over thirty-five years, enjoying the way light sparkles and shadows cool, changing shapes and patterns. I see joyful colors all around me, in orchids, butterflies and evening skies.
I started painting when life closed a door and opened a new one. Twenty-three years ago, my husband passed away, and I began recreating my life. My friends encouraged me to take a watercolor class at Miami-Dade College, and I began growing in this direction. A few years later my teacher moved away, and I taught her class for the next ten years.
After retiring from twenty-five years of teaching at the primary and college levels, I have put my energy into the painting I love. My “second act” has involved growing in totally new directions in order to develop a business. I used to be an introverted person, who avoided sharing much of herself. Today, I enjoy sharing my work and love talking with all the people who come to my booth at art fairs. My hope is to inspire others to notice nature and to experience the peace, beauty and joy that are always all around us.
Painting is my way of appreciating and sharing the beauty I see, and feel, in the world.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Being heard is probably the most rewarding part of being an artist.
My heart and soul are in the art I create. I make all the choices with subject matter, colors, focal point, composition, contrast. I can show what’s important to me and share my feelings, and people hear me and respond to me.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Pivoting is how my art life began. When my husband passed away after a year of fighting cancer I found that my old life was gone too. With the support of my family and friends I delved into painting and sharing myself, and continued to grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nancyreyna.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancyreynafineart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyReynaFineArt
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyreynafineart