Ellen Nemetz

Like many artists, I always loved creating. Unlike many artists, I got undergraduate and graduate degrees in science. Although I could do the work, I realized that I could never be genuinely happy unless I was creating on paper or canvas.

My realistic acrylic paintings start with reference photos. I draw the design directly on to the canvas before laying in any color. I work in layers of color, glazing some areas multiple times while leaving other areas with unmodified color.

Each series of my work begins a moment of wonder. My water series started with a longing for water in the desert.  I felt compelled to paint water with its calming and mesmerizing tranquilities. Unlike artists who paint water as part of the overall landscape, I paint water as the star of any landscape. I continue to paint water and specifically in Arizona, where water can be a scarcity. My new neon cactus series started with a question about how I could represent the heat of the sunlight and the cool of the shadows with color.  Neon colors work especially well for the representation of heat and light.  The shadows are portrayed with darker and cooler colors.