London Still Life

London Still Life
12x10”
Prismacolor 

 

I love all the details that can be captured with Prismacolor pencils. This still life was created during a six-week trip to England with my 2011 Texas State Poet Laureate husband, David M. Parsons. Dave was studying with Stanley Plumly under the University of Houston London program. His time was filled with seminars, so I filled most of mine working on this still life in our cozy room in Maidavale.

I have always loved working with Prismacolors—and, best of all, they don’t take up any room in a suitcase.

For my subject matter, I decided to choose from some items purchased on our trip. The arrangement included various and assundry, found-pieces including an antique "Blue Willow": china plate, and a tea pot with matching creamer, mini jars of jam, a crystal brandy glass, linens, a wine bottle, a small wooden case of fish knives (sans a key) also purchased from a local antique shop, a small tin of breath mints, a packet of flower seeds with pressing instructions, and a few baby carnations.

I labored with those wooden sticks of color for 30+ hours on this piece, loving this artwork with all its fine detail into existence.

When we returned from our journey across the pond, I was delighted to be awarded a Touring Citation from the Texas Fine Arts Association in the “Texas Realism 1985” competition. Juror: Tom Livesay, Assistant Director, Dallas Museum of Art. This painting was on tour for a year, visiting numerous communities across Texas.

Thank you for viewing my work.  

Life is a daring adventure! I hope to see you again soon on the journey. 

All best, 

Nancy

*Follow me down the highway of life as an artist. Don’t forget to hit the “Subscribe” button on the right to receive notifications when a new blog post is posted. 

  

Deep Dive Discovery

9x12”
Live area 5.75x6.88”
©2026

This watercolor painting is the first in a series of smaller pieces that will explore painting multiple layers around a given subject. This intriguing technique was new to me. I watched an online video demo of this negative painting process; I was excited to give it a try. 

For this piece, I began drawing the top leaves and painted the entire area with a wash of color. Then I drew more leaves and painted another wash over all except for the top layer of leaves. This process was then repeated one more time so that the lightest leaf values were on the top layer, over midtones, and the final darkest values on the other two layers.  

I love working in this new, rather contemplative process, but was even more surprised to realize how the painting could easily be viewed as a metaphor for the inner self. The lightest leaves represented the side of me that the world sees —sometimes known as our "false self". The background and other leaves in midtone and dark values could likewise be viewed as our “true self,” the side that we most likely hide from the world.

This was a very interesting technique that I plan to continue exploring. If you’ve never tried a negative watercolor, it is worth the time and may produce some cool visual and perhaps emotional effects.  

Oh, life is such a daring adventure!  lol

Thanks for viewing,

Nancy

Morning Has Broken

 

"Morning Has Broken"

Watercolor

12"x17.75"

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This first stanza of the hymn, "Morning Has Broken" was the inspiration for this watercolor painting.   One of my favorites sung at morning Mass, the words and melody fill my heart and mind with the joy of witnessing a sunrise at the beach.:

Morning Has Broken Like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird.
Praise for the singing!
Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing
Fresh from the Word!
Text: Eleanor Farjeon, 1881-1965

As often happens, once I complete a piece of art and try to write something that viewers might find of interest, I start writing and find myself writing a poem. This piece was no different. In response to this watercolor and the hymn mentioned above, this is a poem that emerged that best describes my impressions and joy of witnessing a sunrise as dawn breaks.  

 

MORNING HAS BROKEN 

Staring at the lingering last lights of night still present at the beach,
first crack of yolk emerges,
pouring out its golden center, spewing
across the dark canvas of horizon.

Quiet pounding of rhythmic waves, hypnotically
crashing onto sand amid the shrill cries
of gulls in search of perhaps a tiny crab
washed up onto glistening wet sand.

The silent flurry of desperate matchstick-legged sandpipers
racing down the shore line of feathered-traffic,
as if the alarm never went off-late, now frantic
in the hunt for tiny insects, crustaceans and worms.

In unison, countless banks of overlapping clouds
of all sizes and shapes, erupt cotton-candy pink
against an emerging blue backdrop, while
companies of preying flocks comb, survey,
and dive into the depths to an unaware
catch of the new day!

Thank you for viewing my post. 

For pricing, additional information, or to purchase this painting, please visit my Daily Paintworks gallery at Nancy Parsons Gallery 

Plumeria Hula

"Plumeria Hula" 8"x8"

Watercolor on heavy card wt. mixed media paper

Click Here to Purchase

The beautiful plumeria flower, used in Hawaiian leis, grows well here in the hotter-the-better humidity on the gulf coast of east Texas.

These lovely sisters blossom all summer long housed in a clay pot on my poolside patio. 

They were more than happy to pose for me in the midst of hula dance tryouts where the competition was heating up. 

I hope you enjoy the show! 

Thank you for visiting my blog. 

Nancy

Hibiscus Hangout

 

 

"Hibiscus Hangout" 8"x 8" heavy card wt.                              Click to Buy  Meet my transient neighbors--the bright-eyed hibiscus, also known as rose mallow. These beauties love to hang out alongside my pool in a terracotta pot. Our hot, humid Texas summers don't even faze them!As beautiful as they are, these showy flowers have a very short life span. By the end of the day, tired and exhausted, these charming actresses simply roll their slender pistil inside the feathery red petals, like long cozy kimono shrouds, leaving just their golden anther curls exposed at one end as they silently drift off into the moonlight.But there is an upside to the story of the hibiscus: this plant is loaded with buds. I can always count on one or two new blossoms to open with fresh eyes each day throughout the entire summer--or until I drag the pot into the garage before the first freeze. It's always sad to see them go, but I know they will return in the spring for another season of top-hit performances.This hibiscus has become my favorite and most loyal water feature.The End! Thank you for viewing my work. Nancy

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"I'll Be Your Best Friend"

"I'll Be Your Best Friend"

12x12" oil on gallery wrap canvas 

SOLD View in gallery

This latest painting is of a beloved family pet named Ginger, photographed holding a stuffed hedgehog—her best friend!

I had a lot of fun painting this little girl! I fell right into those big soulful eyes with eyelashes so long and orange they looked more like some exotic decor of high fashion.

This was a very challenging piece for me. If it wasn't for the Veridian hedgehog and Ginger's golden eyes, I might not have even accepted the commission, as everything else in the scene from the fur to the carpet was just a sea of white. It didn't help that I was painting from a poorly lit photo with the subject in deep shadow, which further compounded the problem. 

I decided the solution required a wide range of temperature shifts to help define the form and texture, along with a vast array of subtle shifts in values so close together it felt like I was performing brain surgery. LOL Well, maybe it wasn't quite that bloody! 

Thanks for following my work. 

nancy

 

"..the lands of sunrise and sunset you fill with your joy."

"the lands of sunrise and sunset you fill with your joy." (Psalm 65)
11.25x14", watercolor on 140lb. cold press
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I had so much fun painting this watercolor inspired by the photo below by photographers Yann Meersseman and Moria Fitzgerald at Vinyard Colors. Their work inspires me to pick up a brush and grab my paints. I have had this image stashed away in my heart since 2016. 

Watercolor seemed the perfect media for transparent layers of clouds, dazzling light and churning waves of foamy water. 

When I came across a quote from my Morning Prayer, I knew immediately that had to be the title of the piece because just seeing the photo filled my heart with joy. 

Here is the reference photo.

Thank you for viewing.

nancy

To see more of my art click Online Gallery • Email  • Website  •  Graphic Design Studio • Fine Art America

"Morning Calling on Dock St.

"Morning Calling on Dock St.
18x24" oil on gallery wrap canvas

I painted this image in response to a photograph by Yann Meersseman and wife Moira Fitzgerald at Vineyard Colors. They graciously allow artists to paint from their work, provided you send them a copy of the final art. 

Although I haven't painted in quite awhile due to the demands of my graphic design business, the intriguing play of light and dark attracted my eye and inspired me to pick up a brush. 

There was a lot of detail in the photo, so I tried my best not get tight, but rather give loose impressions of found object. It felt so good to get back to my easel!

This piece is being donated to my church's annual fundraiser. 

Thanks for viewing. 

nancy

An Evening of Awesome, Art, Wine & Jazz

"Pondering on a Pond", 24x12", oil on stretched canvas

"Bend in the Road", 10x8", oil on Gessobord

"Bounty", 10x8", oil on Gessobord

These are a few pieces I will be showing at "An Evening of Awesome Art, Wine and Jazz",  along with other local artists. This is a benefit event for Fill the Gap, a program of the Peace and Justice Network of Montgomery County, serving the homeless. Come see me this Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. 50% of all sales go to help the homeless. 

Location: Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 3801 South Panther Creek Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77381.  See flyer below for full details. 

The Babysitter

"The Babysitter", 14.5x10.5", Watercolor
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This watercolor painting is of my 18-year-old granddaughter Hayley sharing time with my five-year-old grandson Palmer. My intent was to capture her tenderness and emotion which always shows through to her younger cousins. She literally has a baby in her arms, or a child in her lap at every family gathering. It's not surprising, she is studying to be a NICU nurse. 

I used a recent snap shot for my reference. The lightest values—reflected onto the faces and clothing—came directly from the iPad screen Palmer was playing with in his lap. I had to be careful to get those lightest highlights in immediately and hang on to them. 

Here was my step-by-step process. See photos below:

 1. I started with a light pencil drawing to capture the pose and gestures of the figures, and work out the composition.

 2. Working all over the page, I began blocking in the major shapes with light washes of watercolor.

3. Then, I started adding thin transparent washes of color over the existing layers to build up all of the areas especially in the darkest areas.

4. I continue adding more and more layers until all the values were correct and I was happy with the results.  

Once the paper was completely dry, I erased most of the pencil lines. I really like my underdrawing to be slightly visible. I think it makes the painting more interesting and helps define and gather forms and shapes. 

This is the largest watercolor I have worked on in a long time, and was pleased with the outcome.

Thanks for visiting today. 
nancy

To see more of my art click Online Gallery • Email  • Website  •  Graphic Design Studio • Fine Art America

1. Initial pencil drawing 

2. Blocking in

3. Begin layering 

4. Final layers added

Sweet Spot Rocker

"Sweet Spot Rocker", 30x20" oil on gallery wrap canvas

I painted this piece from a photo I took last summer in Naples, ME on the front porch of the Lakeview Inn where we were staying for a wedding. This was such a delightful place with the most  beckoning porch. I could have sat out there and rocked for days on end. Now that's relaxing at its finest. 

The reference photo for this painting wasn't the greatest as the chair was perched in heavy shade, so I had to take some creative license to make the chair, my focal point, look alive with color.

I can't figure out what category to place this painting in? There is a landscape backdrop, but the focal point is the chair? Would that be considered a still life? But, what if it was gently rocking from the wind? Would that make it a not-so-still life? I suppose if someone were sitting in the rocker would it also be considered figurative? To make this more confusing, this was a covered porch, so does that make it an interior painting? Any thoughts? Hmm? 

This piece is being donated to my church's Annual Gala for their Live Auction, so it isn't for sale, but wanted to share. 

Thank you for pausing to contemplate on the front porch.
—nancy

To see more of my art click Online Gallery • Email  • Website  •  Graphic Design Studio • Fine Art America

Quiet Light

"Quiet Light", 5x8", watercolor on cold press paper 

I painted this mini watercolor of the Madonna and Child to use on my Christmas cards, sadly, most of which never made it to the post office. I had great intentions but simply ran out of time. 

I've been having great fun working in watercolor again over past few months. I love the soft translucent effects and the looseness of the media which can say things I can't get with oils. My plan for the new year is to try and work in both watercolor and oil. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and holiday. I am sending you my belated wishes along with wishes for a bright New Year. 

May Mary’s quiet light bring peace and joy to your hearts.
-nancy

To see more of my art click Online Gallery • Email  • Website  •  Graphic Design Studio • Fine Art America

The Shoppers

"The Shoppers", 5x7" watercolor

I recently had a foot surgery and have been in a cast and unable to put any weight on my foot. Thus I haven't been able to stand and paint at my easel for the past three weeks. However, watercolors are the perfect solution. I can sit at my kitchen table and paint for hours on end. 

I have enjoyed getting back into the swing of painting in this odorless medium which requires minimal cleanup. I started out in watercolors many, many years ago and loved it, but didn't think the colors were screaming loud enough so I switched to oils. I'm sure I'll continue to work in oils once I am back on my feet, but may very well continue playing with watercolor. 

Hmm...perhaps I should also try finger painting? 

Here is my tiny portable setup. I love this compact little Windsor Newton product which makes art a breeze when I am traveling. 

The reference for this photo was posted on DailyPaintworks as a challenge painting.

Thanks for stopping to view my work. 

nancy

To see more of my art click Online Gallery • Email  • Website  •  Graphic Design Studio • Fine Art America

San Miguel Rooftop Terrace

"San Miguel Rooftop Terrace", 5x7" watercolor
TO OWN

I painted this piece a year ago while visiting in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This ancient world-heritage site with it's cobblestone roads is filled with beautiful rooftop terraces and surrounded by mountains and lush gardens. What an inspiring place to paint. 

I chose to take watercolors as my media for painting. I was afraid my oils would never get there, or would be difficult to transport on the plane. 

I hadn't painted in watercolor for many, many years but was quite pleased with how quickly it all came back...kind of like riding a bike.

Thanks for viewing,

nancy

To see more of my art click Online Gallery • Email  • Website  •  Graphic Design Studio • Fine Art America

Bend in the Road

"Bend in the Road", 10x8", oil on gessobord

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Sunlight is painting.—Nathaniel Hawthorne

I snapped the reference photo for this painting in Montana right at the golden hour. The sun, rapidly setting behind the distant mountains was sweeping light like magic to create long shadows across the landscape. The tree along the bend in the road was totally lit up in the glow of the moment. This was one of those instances in your life when you know—beyond a shadow of a doubt—you were exactly where you were suppose to be at that precise moment in time...my soul on fire with joy. 

Thank you for following my work.
—nancy

To see more of my art click Online Gallery • Email  • Website  •  Graphic Design Studio • Fine Art America

In the Shade of Nye

"In the Shade of Nye"6x6" oil on Gessobord
NOT AVAILABLE FOR SALE

"To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment."   —Jane Austen

I was enthralled by the fresh, lush green vegetation hugging tightly to this tiny abandoned log cabin on my sister's property in Montana. The sun, that morning, still low in the east, was painting luminous shadows on the blanket of still-wet grass, dappled in a myriad of sparkling light. The structure sits along the edge of a large park-like cluster of trees running along the banks of the Stillwater River. 

I painted this mostly en plein air one morning, and then finished up in my studio once I returned home. Oh course this was gifted to my sister, so not for sale, but just wanted to share another memorable moment of my vacation. 

Gosh, I'd love to live in this little-one-room castle surrounded by mountains and pastures. I can't think of anything grander...especially if they install a toilet!

Thank you for stopping by today.
nancy 

To see more of my art click Online Gallery • Email  • Website  •  Graphic Design Studio • Fine Art America