We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nancy Rynes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nancy below.

Nancy, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

If I could go back in time knowing what I do now, I would definitely start my creative career much sooner than I did. I had known I wanted to be an artist from the time I was a young girl. But I also had a very strong interest in the sciences and studied both when I went into my college years: I went to art school first, and then I pursued advanced degrees in geology and archeology. But I got myself backed into a corner mentally. What I mean by that is even though I studied the sciences and worked as a scientist, I desperately wanted to be a full time artist. Art was my passion. But I allowed everyone around me, family, friends, college instructors, to convince me that art as a profession was not possible.

Because I believed their opinions and fears more than I believed in myself, I started out pursuing a career in the sciences. And for about 20 years, jobs in the sciences and technology industries became my major source of income. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I had a stable source of income, health benefits, and interesting work. But the more years I devoted to a 9-to-5 job, the more my life became dependent on having that job.

If I had chosen a different path years ago and refused to believe those who were telling me that I couldn’t make it as an artist, I would have structured my life a lot differently.

I would have looked at a typical 9-to-5 job as more of a part-time gig rather than a full-on career path. Also, that job would likely have been in something more related to art: working at a gallery, frame shop, art museum, or even as an illustrator.

I also would have structured my lifestyle so that it was inexpensive to maintain as possible: living in a less expensive apartment, and accruing as little debt as possible. Saddling yourself with big debt like a car loan or mortgage can hamper your ability to stay on the creative path full-time. Let’s get real – the creative business can have its ups and downs in terms of income, but if you have regular car payments you have to meet, those can become a source of financial stress.

If I had started art as a career earlier, I suspect my experience as an artist overall might have been vastly different, with success coming much sooner. Being in the art world in my 20s would have allowed me to meet other artists, gallery owners, and collectors much earlier. Connections like that are extremely important in all parts of business, but especially important in the art world. Personal connections can get your work in front of people who would not normally see it on social media, or at an art venue. Those are connections that took me so long to cultivate because I had a later start.

Even though I got a later start than some, I still love what I do every day and can’t wait to get in the studio and create something special.

Nancy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m an oil painter who has been in this business professionally for about 15 years. My paintings cover a wide variety of subject matter, from figurative work to landscapes and even animals. I tend to be selling my art in the Western art market, but it isn’t specifically Western art that I create. As a side part of my business, I make gallery-quality frames for myself and for other artists. While frames are not a huge part of my income, I enjoy making them and it keeps my overall production costs lower for my own art.

I’m also an art instructor and have a YouTube channel about creativity and art, as well as teach classes and workshops.

What sets me apart from others in my genre? My work bridges the gap between contemporary art and traditional. It’s often colorful and full of energy, with bold brushwork and a lot of spirit. I like to capture energy and soul of my subjects in the paintings that I create.

I also tend to bring a different slant to my Western works in that I like to focus on those who have been underrepresented in traditional Western art. That tends to be people of color and women.

My artistic focus in a painting is often amazing lighting or color scheme, both of which contribute to mood. I’m not necessarily a colorist, but I do like to use color to enhance the mood that I want to bring to the painting.

For me, a painting is more than just about copying a photograph. It’s about putting together a story or a mood that the viewer can relate to or gain inspiration from. In order to do that, I have to pay attention to composition, tone or value, and then the color. All of these work together to bring a certain mood or even a message to the work.

The art I enjoy creating is more than just a making pretty picture to hang on the wall. I like to infuse my art with deeper meanings and messages that might not be apparent to a casual viewer. That’s what I think sets my work apart from other people in the Western art genre: the layers of meaning or depth that comes into what I create.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

About 15 years ago, just as I was switching my life over to being a professional artist, I was involved in a horrific vehicular accident. I was on a bicycle and run over by someone driving an SUV. My body was so terribly broken that I initially thought any hope I had of being a professional artist was over. It took me about six months of work with a physical therapist and my physician to be able to paint again, just for a few minutes at a time, and another year to fully recover from all of my injuries. But I was determined to come back from this setback.

It took about 8 months after the accident until I could paint for a few hours at a time, which for me was enough time at the easel to do what I wanted with a painting. When I got to that point, I realized that my creativity and ability to paint had not suffered at all. In fact, my creativity and love for the craft were more intense than ever before.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Just after this accident, I met someone who would become a big mentor for me in my art career. He had been an owner of art galleries for much of his life and once he retired from that profession, he became an artist himself. I didn’t realize how important it could be for artists to have a mentor in the business aspect of the creative journey…until this man came into my life. He has helped me understand more about the business of art than anyone else to date just because of his years in the business of selling art. If I would have had this kind of mentor earlier, it would have helped propel me into a successful art career earlier in my life. I encourage all artists today to not only have artistic mentors, but also find someone who can help you learn the business side of art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nancyrynesart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancyrynes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancy.rynes
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyrynes/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NancyRynes

Image Credits

all images by Nancy Rynes