Nancy Neale can never remember a time she did not consider herself to be an artist. As early as grade school she won numerous national art competitions and in High School received two Scholastic gold keys as well as a national Scholastic gold medal in painting. From the first time she painted with the medium of watercolor she considered herself a watercolorist; it captivated and fascinated in a way no other medium could. She had the opportunity to compete in many shows and won several art scholarships. She chose another path and had the opportunity to go to Los Angeles and be an illustrator for a service that provided on-demand artists to companies needing illustrators and graphic artists. Through this she had the opportunity to work for some of the largest names in the business of art and entertainment. The experience was brief, but for a teenager it was the thrill of a lifetime. She returned to Colorado and took a twenty-plus year break from art due to a myriad of hand issues. Continuing to be creative in other ways, she had never expected to pick up a fine art brush again.
But the love of watercolor and the desire to display the mastery she once had for this medium was compelling. In the past eight years she has delved back into watercolor. If an artist’s chosen medium can define them, she believes that watercolor is her true heart. She considers her style to be photorealism with a painterly touch of graphics. It is her desire to continue to prove that there is value in creating paintings with the pursuit of technical perfection and that realism can be as captivating as all other forms of painting and expression. Neale is currently a signature member and past Vice President of the Pikes Peak Watercolor Society as well as a member of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, the Philadelphia Watercolor Society, Watercolor West and the International Society of Experimental Artists.