Although I'm very interested in depicting figures with the oil glazing techniques practiced by the old masters, working freely with acrylic paint using abstract forms and wild color is also enthralling.

I suppose I have some dueling or schizophrenic artists in my head. One of them might respond to my need to express light, color and texture on a large rough surface, but the "other artist" may have the recurring desire to layer thin oil paint on a smooth surface. I've tried to concentrate on just one thing, but it seems impossible. Sometimes a third artist emerges, and she is in love with the Iowa landscape!

I often paint to music. The sounds of Andrew Bird and Leonard Cohen inspire my landscapes, while classical music seems to lend itself to painting more realistic pieces. Many of my abstract paintings have titles that refer to songs or poetry, mostly Leonard Cohen's.

Dancer's Skirts

Acrylic on Canvas

Sunlight

Acrylic on Canvas

I was born in Denver, Colorado, and have also lived in Oregon, California, and Spain.

For much of my life, I worked in mortgage banking, but in 1989, after leaving the business world, I returned to school in California to further my education in graphic design and fine art. I worked on many graphic design projects and illustrations for wineries in northern California before coming to Iowa , where I've concentrated on fine art.

I owned and ran The Main Gallery & Studio in Dubuque from 2000 to 2004. I'm a member of The Art Studio in Fountain Park.

Nelms-Byrne has work in collections throughout the United States. She and her husband reside in Dubuque, Iowa.