We recently connected with Nella Khanis and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nella, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
I was a good girl. I obeyed my parents, who insisted I get a “real” profession. When we emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1980, I went straight to college and received my BS degree (and later, my MS degrees). I worked in a medical field, but disliked it immensely since all I wanted to do was paint! I regret the lost time of my creativity while I was young. I would like to see how I saw the world and how I would express it in my paintings back then. I would love to compare my young expressions with my mature ones.
Nella, 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 am an immigrant, an artist, and a cancer survivor. Throughout my turbulent life, coming from the Soviet Union, adjusting to a new country and a new language, I have always exaggerated, invented, and created visual pictures in my head. In my paintings, I raise mundane objects to a mythical status. There is always a story behind every painting, but it’s not obvious — there is a hint in every title. I am not an articulate person, so I use a visual language to express my thoughts, feelings, and emotions. After my encounter with cancer, I couldn’t paint huge canvases like I used to. I switched to smaller sizes. Later, I discovered the great medium of watercolor. I love experimenting and I need to change and evolve my art. I do not adhere to one style; I find it boring. After painting watercolors, I decided to experiment with watercolors on black paper. It needed a completely different sets of paints. That was exciting!
I exhibited extensively throughout the USA, Canada, and Israel. The most interesting exhibition was at the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton, NY. My health issues have prevented me from exhibiting recently, but I am a survivor and I never give up!
I sell mostly to private collectors, some of whom have several different collections of my works.
I wrote 3 books of poetry. One of them, “Tears to Sea,” is on Amazon. During Covid I created, co-authored, and illustrated a children’s book, “Boris the Crab,” which is on Amazon as well.
Please visit my website: https://nellasart.com/ to see all my creations.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
As I mentioned, I am a cancer survivor. It made certain options unattainable for me. I have to constantly adjust to what my physical limitations allow. I had to switch from oil painting to acrylic, make canvas sizes much smaller, and discover watercolor as a medium in order to keep creating.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I am not an articulate person. For me, the only way to express myself is through the visual medium! Painting helps me see better, understand better, and not lose hope! It helps me survive!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nellasart.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063497290916
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nella-khanis-20391a1b/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99nlExv1nF4
- Other: https://vimeo.com/27877060
Image Credits
Self portrait as Mona Lisa Self portrait as Medusa Gorgona