Gaynor Cooke Nelson, a resident of Longmont,Colorado,is a classical realist painter in oil whose varied works appear in public and private collections throughout the United States.
Technique
Trained in the classical realist tradition,Gaynor began her studies in Atlanta,Georgia,under the direction of master colorist Nance Honea. The foundation of her painting technique is the creation of an under-painting —grisaille —which establishes composition and values. The grisaille provides the cohesive glue holding everything together in the composition. Gaynor further enhnaces her technique by the application of multiple layers of oil color and glazes,rendering a luminescent quality to the images on the canvas.
Art Involvement
Active participation in the art community has been important to Gaynor. She has been recognized as a Member of Merit of The Portrait Society of Atlanta,the oldest portrait art organization in America where she served on their board of directors for four years. She is also a founding member of the Portrait Society of America since it’s inception in 1999. Gaynor served as guest curator for the Longmont StudioTour’s preview exhibition from 2003 through 2009. She also founded the group,“The Portrait Alliance of the Rockies” in 2008,and organized an exhibition of the work of seven local portrait artists from Boulder and Longmont. In early 2010,she co-organized an exhibition of 35 prominent Colorado artists at the “Niwot Hills Luxury Home Exhibition” in Niwot,Colorado. Gaynor is particularly honored to be associated with Children’s Hospital of Denver’s Bereavement program,‘The Colors of Healing’. She paints portraits of children for families who have lost a child.
Education
Gaynor graduated from Lewis and Clark College,Portland,Oregon,with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Later she added a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Redlands College,California. In addition to her studies with master colorist Nance Honea of Atlanta from 1995 to 2001,she has most recently studied with David Larssen of the Colorado Academy of Art in Boulder,Colorado and takes private lessons from Claire Evans of Boulder,Colorado. Once a week,she draws from live models at the Longmont Figure Drawing group.
Philosophy
Gaynor firmly believes that good drawing skills and solid,unified composition are the foundation for great works of art. Painting from life whenever possible is critical to understanding the planes and forms in space. With this in mind,Gaynor carefully plans each painting she creates with preliminary sketches and color studies to ensure a successful work of art.
“I want to communicate a meaning beyond what I initially observe in my subjects –to reach a little further and express my emotional response and translate it to the canvas. This expression is how I hope to make my work different and special.”