Nancy Paden

Nancy is a native Alabamian, raised on her parents’ farm in Shelby County. She grew up with a love of drawing and pursued art and interior design at Judson College. She finished with a double major and enjoyed working in the design field for about 20 years in Mobile Alabama. A client learned that she was an artist and contracted her to paint a mural in her home. This was the beginning of the path change toward art for Nancy. “There is nothing quite like the feeling of creating something beautiful that someone else enjoys.” Her love of art had taken a backseat to design work while her son was young, and this first mural opened the door for both personal enjoyment and revenue. She became active in the Mobile Art Association and began to paint in watercolor once again. It had been her “first love” from an early class while she was still in high school. For several years she continued with multiple mural and custom paint – (faux finish) jobs for clients. In 2004 her husband accepted a job promotion to a plant in North Carolina. There she was able to explore the new state and its abundance of art venues. She joined the Watercolor Society of North Carolina and actively pursued workshops that were offered from some of the nations’ top watercolor artists. In 2011 she joined the Watercolor Society of Alabama and entered her first national exhibition. By 2014 she had reached signature status for both societies. In 2016 she won BEST OF SHOW in WSNC’s Annual Exhibition with “Hello Again”. She has since won multiple National awards including, the Marjorie Creighton Award (3rd place) in 2019, Julia Pope Award 2020, and 2021 Merit Award from WSA. She continues to pursue excellence with a seemingly endless appetite for learning, while exploring both realistic and impressionistic subjects from landscapes to portraits.

“There is always something to learn…” a motto she seems to live by.

Her work can be found at her website- www.NancyPaden.com

One of her paintings is found in the Heritage Hall Museum collection courtesy of Ed King.