"I create artworks for those who like to think, to question, to discover and to understand. I hope my art will share food for thought and time for introspection by either stepping back to interpret the mood of the elemental sum or to come closer and find meaning in the individual elements. My paintings are the thoughts and concepts that pass through my mind, come to live in my heart and then manifest through my brush upon canvas. I paint to say, you are not alone - in your triumphs nor your struggles; we are all in this together, as fingers on a common hand. It is my sincere hope that you will enjoy my work and that you will experience a personal connection with one or more of the paintings. Personally, creating art fulfills a spiritual need to communicate and share with others in the most authentic and honest way that I know. To serve as a feast for the eyes, as well as the for the mind and the soul is the purpose of my art." Nancy Mariah Garrett is a self-taught artist. She was born January 24th, 1958, in Mobile, Alabama. Her family relocated to Pensacola, Florida in 1968 and in 1976 Nancy became a resident of Biloxi, Mississippi. Creating art and studying art history has dominated her curiosity since early childhood. Nancy began her professional art career at age 20, as an airbrush artist creating souvenir apparel. The Artist was required to render any subject requested, on the spot, in front of a public audience. Although challenging for a young Artist, in retrospect she credits the experience as one of her greatest teachers. During this time, Nancy also created Fine Art and Illustrations in her home studio. After airbrushing twelve years she committed herself to a leap of faith and began to freelance. Self employed, the Artist accepted any commission, among these were commercial ad and billboard layouts, apparel graphics, CD and video jacket illustrations, brochure illustrations, portraits and children's book illustrations. If Nancy was not familiar with the medium or the technique required by a client, she researched the subject and taught herself. This life style cultivated a substantial and versatile education in the art mediums of graphite, pen and ink, watercolor, gouache, pastel and acrylic. After many years of painting commercially, Artist Nancy Garrett, no stranger to risk and uncertainty, again took a leap of faith to concentrate on and incorporate everything she has worked so hard to teach herself into an original art genre which she refers to as Symbolist Portraiture. It is now recognized as her signature style. Each canvas in this series, executed in intricate detail, is a 200 to 300 hour commitment of Nancy M. Garrett's mind and heart. New and intriguing works are continously in progress on her easel for release to the Visual Art Community.
Also known for her sense of community and generous spirit, Artist Nancy M. Garrett was most recently featured in the national broadcast television specials concerning citizen response along the Gulf Coast to the Blue Water Horizon Oil Spill, 'The Spirit of Mississippi' and 'Heroes Among Us', for the creation and donation of murals to the National Audubon Society Volunteer Response Center.

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