Paint First, Ponder Later: On Local Artist Nancy Eckels

by Molly Wilson

The beauty of art is that it can speak for itself.  Nancy Eckels has the remarkable ability to portray emotion and themes through her art, and she has made quite a name for herself through her paintings.  Not only has her artwork been featured on television show sets such as Desperate Housewives, The Bold and The Beautiful, and House, but she was also chosen recently by Marilyn Grossman, the Art Spaces Curator for Stanford, to display 20 of her abstract paintings at Stanford University’s “Stanford Art Spaces.” Through the months of August and September, Nancy’s paintings were exhibited to the public.
This achievement for Nancy came on the heels of her decision to stop everything else 10 years ago, and pursue painting full time. With a talent for painting practically running through her veins, thanks to her artist parents and family members, Nancy attributes her training method to “osmosis.”  Her first clue that the gift of painting coursed through her veins was the time she won an art contest at her father’s work-she was six!  Prior to her serious pursuit of artwork, Nancy had 25 years of experience in the television business; her various jobs included being a production assistant, game show writer, and associate director and director on the CBS daytime soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful. 
After selling many of her paintings to collectors and businesses throughout the United States, Nancy enjoys her growth as a painter after being “so intensely focused [on her painting] for so long.” 
Fleeing the constraints of painting “still-life,” Nancy chooses to paint according to her own moods and emotions.  “Most of my inspiration comes out of my head…I pick colors, and start painting!”  This spontaneity is the deciding factor of which colors she uses; the brighter colors indicate a joyful atmosphere, while softer tones describe a more subdued emotional state.  Painting “in the moment” allows Nancy to rely on her partially inherited instincts and let the compositions reveal themselves in a very abstract way.  Nancy’s favorite color is “Red! Red! Red!” She said that, “I had to train myself not to pick up red as the first color for every painting.” When asked if she ever puts down a painting she started, and picks it up again later, she replied, “It depends on the painting, but it’s amazing how the painting will “change” after a few days of not looking at it.”
One of Nancy’s paintings “Light Source 14” was chosen by designer Courtney Cachet for her redecorating project on NBC’s LXTV Open House NY, and Nancy was a vendor participant at a local fundraiser “With Love From Me To You”: Margo’s Boutique and Fashion Show, for the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center.  We are thrilled that such an established artist hails from our community of Santa Clarita, and we congratulate Mrs. Nancy Eckels for her great accomplishments!
For more information on the work of Nancy Eckels, visit www.NancyEckels.com.