Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Nowlin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Grace. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I was a little girl, I always had coloring books. My mom would give me random extra pieces of paper to draw on, and I have drawn and painted all my life. My grandmother was a brilliant painter who began with oils and moved to watercolor. She taught me a lot, and I always wanted to paint. I took art classes all through school, including college and the near-by community college, where I lived in Overland Park, Kansas, until moving to Fort Worth four years ago.
I enjoy painting in either acrylics or oils, and I do not stick to one style, depending on my mood. I love to paint flowers, animals and landscapes when I am not painting abstracts, which are therapeutic and valuable outlets for self-expression. My Pop Art style can be considered abstract as well, with intense, clear colors. My acrylic painting, “Shhh” was one of 5 finalists selected to compete in the National League For Innovation competition in 2013.
I have shown and sold in the Historic Fort Worth show in 2018 and 2019, I had a painting at Fort Works Art in 2019, and I have displayed some paintings in some shows at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center in 2017 and 2018. In addition, I have donated a painting to The Art Station fund-raiser each of the last three years. I paint with a co-op of talented artists at Horseshoe Trail Studio, as well as in my home studio. I have paintings located from South Africa to South Carolina to Colorado and California and in-between.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road for an artist will always have bumps and criticisms along the way. I have had teachers help me get the better technique, although sometimes I did not care for their methods of critiques. They always had relevant wisdom, and I learned from it. It is more disappointing if a family member criticizes my work, or even my choice to pursue painting as a second career. I chalk it up to different personalities having different life-goals, and I just follow my passion.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My small business is a one-woman show. I set my hours and days to paint, and all decisions are my own, with helpful advice from my patient, supportive husband. I am not an assertive marketer, but I am slowly building awareness of my business being in Fort Worth through friends and family word-of-mouth. I consider myself a Colorist painter, which means to me that we use lots of bright colors, not necessarily realistic colors in our paintings. I’m not sure if there is a rigid definition of a Colorist, but that’s my definition. I am most proud of following my dream and my path. I am doing just what I want to do and not what someone else wants or demands of me.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Fort Worth is a great place to be an artist these days. The gallery scene, especially the two Gallery Nights each year, help expose the community to huge varieties of amazing art. We have many artists who are extremely talented throughout the city. The smaller street art fairs include many hobbyists who someday will be well-known artists. The Fort Worth Community Arts Center is a gem that more artists need to get juried-in to shows and take classes.
Gallery Nights are fun for the public to get around and see art in party atmospheres each Spring and Fall. I am wondering if a monthly “First Friday” or “Third Friday” would work here as it does in Kansas City. We do not yet have an artist area where this could be successful and convenient to just park and walk from place to place, but I think it could happen in the Near Southside area someday. Galleries and businesses would showcase artists monthly.
Contact Info:
- Website: GraceNowlinArt.com
- Email: gnowq2@gmail.com
- Instagram: grace.nowlin
- Facebook: Grace Nowlin Art
- Twitter: @gnowq2
Image Credit:
All pictures are my own or my husband’s
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