Art as a full time focus came later in life for Nancy Junkin -- after education, raising children and surviving various careers. Suddenly, she kept having a recurring dream where she wandered through her house, only to find an unoccupied room that she didn’t know existed.  After lamenting about it, her sister found a dream interpretation book that revealed the meaning behind her dream: "You have an unrealized talent waiting to be discovered."

She knew instantly she was meant to paint! She began taking classes from artists that she admired and even enrolled in school to work on her MFA.  Her years as an interior designer naturally led her to working with colors and compositions.  What she had confused as a nightmare awakened a latent passion that has brought her great joy.

The love for color has been a large part of who she is -- recognizing its impact on tone, mood and feelings.  At a young age, she was busy rearranging furniture, designing doll clothes, painting everything she could find -- paper, furniture, walls -- doodling, drawing and creating. From childhood to today, from grade school art class to painting in her studios, her passion to create art in many ways has always defined her. Harmonious surroundings have always given her great satisfaction as she works diligently to beautify. 

Today she is fortunate to have two studios, one at home and one a few miles from her house. She loves being surrounded by her paints, brushes, tools, a supply of canvases and works in process. Constantly inspired by the things she sees and her loved ones around her, she paints both the figurative and the abstract. Starting with large blocks of colors and then slowly adding the ones that make her heart sing most, she yearns to create powerful, healing work.

Her paintings evoke a variety of emotions from excitement to calm, happiness, joy, and contentment.

"Making art is my way of expressing love for and appreciation of life." -- Nancy Junkin