Sherrie Nielsen . California . waow
| Horses | Dogs | Wildlife | Birds | Blooms | Bugs | Bibelot |
"If you love art and animals, we share something special!”
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Women Artists of the West
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Sherrie Nielsen
Sherrie Nielsen is a figurative artist creating oil paintings and drawings of fauna, flora, cosmos and humanity, working in California. Her favorite mediums are oil, charcoal and colored pencil. Her art works have been juried into international and regional shows, received recognition and awards; and have been published as illustration in a major university academic journal and book cover design.
Sherrie began to draw at a young age as a way to connect with horses. She began her professional art career at age sixteen, drawing horse portraits and horse farm logos in black ink with a crow quill pen, enhanced by subtle glazes of colored ink.
She set aside her pen for a time to pursue her equestrian interests in dressage and hunters. She met hunter/jumper trainer, Mike Nielsen because of her horse. They married and Sherrie became a vital part of his business for a number of years.
Yet, the artist's life still called to her as each year passed. Sherrie began drawing again and decided to re-enter college to learn to paint and pursue a degree in art. The chemicals and volatile organic compounds used by oil painters in the classrooms were health hazards she could not cope with, so her original idea of learning to paint in school had to be dropped. She completed her Master of Fine Art degree in 2008, based on her drawing skill.
The beloved inks Sherrie had used in her youth were no longer available, so she felt she had to find a new means of expression. She had spent much time drawing with charcoal in college, which she loved. She wanted to pursue art professionally and was realistic about the public's desire for and attraction to color. So, she looked around for an alternative medium. When Sherrie tried oil painting again, using Holbein Aqua Oil and mediums with no volatile organic fumes, she knew she had found her new means of expression.
Sherrie's primary subject during her college years had revolved around the confluence of scientific theory and religious scriptural teachings and traditions. The subject seemed to cause a mental block after she graduated. She started a small series of paintings of the cosmos that she enjoyed for a time, but couldn't see making her lifetime production about that subject.
Sherrie's new direction took shape in the face of tragedy. Her friend, Laura, lost her Great Dane, Gunnar, to cancer. Sherrie wanted to ease her pain and created a memorial portrait of Gunnar for her. She felt such joy and peace as she created her first ever dog painting. The work was received with tears and gratitude by Laura.
Sherrie had found her new path in the roots of her original artistic bent – animals. She now concentrates on painting animals of all kinds, most often in realistic settings, and, at times, those that are imagined or allegorical.
Artist Statement
I am a figurative artist with a passion for animals and nature working in California. I especially enjoy creating art that explores the lives and characters of animals in situations that are most often realistic, and, at times, imagined or allegorical.
I have learned through extensive contact with animals of many species that each is a distinct individual, even though they fit within the universal characteristics of their species. I want my viewers to see each animal I portray as that distinct individual. My desire in a finished work is for the observer to feel the moment and the animals' responses to that moment as a window into the workings of their immortal souls.
My style reflects my strong interest in drawing. I predominately work in oil with some joyful moments of drawing thrown into the mix.
Women Artists of the West
