Nancy Lewis Art

Sunday night in San Ignacio, Belize

This warm January night, from my second story hotel balcony, I watch the Sunday evening night life pass by my hidden perch. What drew me out of my fan cooled room is the beautiful sound of a piccolo being played by the old skinny black man in the street of San Ignacio, Belize. He has a stand for his sheet music and a metal pan which sit on a white Styrofoam box. People drop coins on to the metal pan, 'clink, chang, clunck' sounds of coins passing from one person to another. The musician nods his head in thanks as he continues filling the evening th his melodies. With this nod, the coins are humbly accepted.

No one seemed be in a rush. The young Chinese couple check their cell phones as they walk by the parked cars. The white skinned old ladies walk their mutts, lifting their leg for a pole or a corner of a side walk. The black cat sniffs around for a morsel of tidbits. The college age tourist waddle with full bellies from Hanna's restaurant. The Chinese restaurant Christmas lights flash on and off, making me wonder if the stay up all year round. Are they newly strung for the holiday or do they stay up all year round. Judging at the worn exterior, the later is true. The other Chinese restaurant also has a sting of lights but half of theirs are burnt out. Ten feet from me the lite sign from my hotel flashes in a Las Vegas style colored strobe fashion but more of a Belizian style. They all are saying in their own way, notice me, me first, come on in and stay.

Sadly the music man has packed up, emptied his pan full of change into his heavily coin laden pocket. I wonder if it was a good night. The sounds that stay are voices of the night of unknown faces, the occasional vehicles which pass down the narrow street, empty bottles being stacked and the silent broom of the Chinese lady sweeping the stoop of the Delicious Seafood Restaurant. The scattered groups of people coming and going from somewhere. This place I sit and watch is an old place, a used place but a typical place. A place people are born into with an accepting resignation. San Ignacio, Belize I thank you for sharing with me the pulse of this warm quiet Sunday evening.

I could not believe it. The first colors of green have appeared in the peach orchard. Small tuffs of newly awoken grass' have broken through the frozen ground.

Throughout the day I watch the lone orchard worker make his way up and down the rows of trees slowly and carefully trimming individually selected branches. Unlike how I prune a tree which is a mass slaughter, he elements the non fruit baring twigs and leaves the rest. This whole week, I have been able to spot where he is in the orchard by locating the big blue tractor pulling the white flat bed trailer. Sometimes dust scatters behind him as he makes his way down the dirt lined row, creating a more defining marker.

It is still too cold to go out and paint much. Luckily I find the views out my studio window sufficient another panel or two.

I can tell you, I am yearning for spring. I am most looking forward to painting the virgin colors of spring. I am also looking forward to playing in the garden, riding my bike and being out in the Colorado spring sun.

I have been painting in oils on panels and canvas and in watercolors on paper. Because of the cold, I have been in the studio painting mostly the views from my studio in Palisade, Colorado. My studio looks over a peach orchard with the Bookcliffs mesa and the Colorado River and in the far distance the Colorado National Monument. All day the colors change, as the snow comes and goes and the sun changes the mode of this winter landscape.

As part of painting endeavors, I have been taking workshops with local artist at the Blue Pig in Palisade, Colorado. The program is called "Make Art". It is one of the best concepts I have ever had the pleasure to experience. To be able to spend the day painting with other professional artists for just a few dollars is an incredible return on the investment. There is usually one or two other artist during the make art class. The artist share their techniques, methods, and philosophy while painting.
I am also attending a day long work shop with Daniel Young, a well established oil painter and instructor.

I will be giving a presentation on blogging and website design on March 10th. At this time it will be at the Alphine Bank in downtown Grand Junction, Colorado. Please contact me for more information.
I have uploaded new images of new paintings and would love to hear from you what you like or what you think. Drop me a note.

Thank you for stopping by
Nancy Lewis.

I love painting outside because the colors are so fresh and the light inspires me. Here are a few photos of me painting outside.

I am very excited about the book my husband, Randy Fay, and I just published. We got the inspiration for this project while we where in Guatemala doing volunteer work with Friendship Bridge for Kiva.org

Take a look by clicking here

As a Visualization Graphic Artist, I convert ideas to reality in the form of concise, understandable graphic images. I work with my clients to understand the problem, evaluate the material on hand and study their plans. From there I will convert these concepts to a graphic format that best fits my clients needs.

I create graphics for presentation, photo simulation, 3d engineering models, 2d schematics, engineering visualization simulations, photography, brochures, and business graphics for business cards, brochures, websites and education material.

click here to view Nancy Lewis' e-portfolio

This is a flash 8 compressed video showing the proposed reconstruction of Austin Bluffs and Union Blvd Interchange. The Roadway design was originally modeled with Microstation and Inroads, converted to Autocad and Imported to 3D Studio Max. The rest of the modeling and all of the materials and lighting was generated in Max. The final text and effects was done in adobe Premier and outout as an avi.

The  avi was 170mb file and was reduced to 15mb. It is of Austin bluffs and union interchange reconstruction. Click here to view