Nancy Rynes

Art Brokerage: Nancy Rynes American Artist: Nancy Rynes' love of art began with her childhood on a small farm in rural Illinois. Drawing, writing, working on the farm, and riding her Choctaw pony were a part of her life in the country. As a child, she often wandered the fields and forest with pencil and sketchbook, drawing anything and everything she could find. Horses, cattle, ducks, and chickens were some of her earliest subjects. Horses in particular captured her attention, due in part to her family's long history with training Thoroughbreds for some of the midwest's largest racing stables. She spent many Saturdays watching her great-uncle, trainer and breeder E.B. Carpenter, race horses at Arlington Park near Chicago. "Uncle Eb" as he was known, would often regale her with stories of the horses and jockeys he worked with, including Eddie Arcaro, Laffit Pincay Jr., John Beebe, and many more. The artist focused on drawing horses and wildlife during her teen years, which led her to study fine art at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. There she learned classical techniques of working from life and painting in a variety of media. She later went on to major in Geology and Archaeology at Northern Illinois University and the University of Colorado, and spent several seasons as an archaeological artist. Nancy went on to study oil painting with noted artists Ralph Oberg, Dan Young, Matt Smith, Chris Alvarez, and Ken Elliott. Learning the finer points of landscape painting from these artists greatly influenced her use of bold brushwork, color, and light/shadow. Nancy still paints from life when possible - she believes it's an exercise that keeps her tuned in to the true colors and patterns of light, not simply in how a camera captures it. Listings wanted.