Show Description and Personal Statements:

This show includes paintings created both in the studio and en plein air. Although many of the pieces have been painted at locations I have l visited while traveling or were painted in the studio from sketches, notes, and photos I have taken on trips, the majority of the paintings are of Monmouth County views. This county has some truly wonderful scenery. Our park system, where many of these works were painted, is extensive and diverse. From gardens and woods, to oceans and rivers, we are blessed. An added bonus for me is having four distinct seasons of changing beauty to inspire and challenge me.

The thirty six paintings here have been created in both watercolor and pastel. I’ve studied watercolor, that most demanding medium, for many years. I love it when it works! More recently, I have begun to work in pastels. Building up layers and layers of glorious colors on sanded papers is such a different and immediate technique. It’s great to switch back and forth between these media as the subject or my own mood demands. Regardless of the medium or location, I encounter the same challenges that face so many other painters. Finding subjects and themes that are personally exciting, developing the compositions, and trying to use each medium’s potential to depict atmosphere and mood though that wonderful element - light are all part of trying to develop each painting.

For me, my work is not about painting “pretty” scenery. The content and presentation come from my personal reactions to what I find deeply beautiful and moving in the world. Although we all are easily caught up in huge stresses and worries which can dominate so much of our lives, I hope that these paintings may help the viewer take a moment to STOP - LOOK - and SEE that there is still much in this world that can give delight.

“Nessa Morse’s work is filled with the warmest elements that compose a painting. Her backdrops are soft and her foreground leads you into the scene. Ms. Morse’s focus on nature and her effects of light are all painted with a soft intensity There is a freshness about her work that excites me. The viewer of her work feels that all is right with the world, as it should be. The art world is blessed to have her in it.” Judy Stach, PAF

Background Information:

In childhood, Nessa Neilson Morse was fortunate to love and study both art and music. After high school, she elected to pursue visual arts studies at Kent State University, Ohio where she earned her B.F.A.. Having also discovered the world of theatre design, she went on to receive her M.A. (with an emphasis in costume design) in theatre at Montclair State University, NJ.

In the thirty-three years she taught high school art for the Middletown, N.J. school
district, Nessa helped develop and teach a wide range of art programs which included fine arts, crafts, art history, and computer art. She received teaching awards at the local, state, and national levels. She also spent many of those years free lancing as a costume designer for college theatre departments and for professional summer stock companies.
For over the past ten years, she has been an adjunct instructor of art for Brookdale Community College. Here she teaches computer painting for the Art Department and drawing for interior design for the Interior Design Department. She received the 2005-2006 adjunct of the year award for the Fine Arts and Communications Division at Brookdale.

Grateful for the early encouragement of art teachers Lois Eben and Douglas McIlvain, Nessa has pursued her painting studies with many wonderful artists. Those who have helped and influenced her the most include Tony Ventura, Roberta Carter Clark, Frank Csulak, Lee Boynton, and Stan Sperlak. Most of her work is created in watercolors or pastels. She has received awards for both media. Her work is included in private and public collections throughout the country, particularly in the northeast.

Nessa sums up her feelings about her artwork in this statement: ”Finding the special moments and moods of everyday places and trying to capture their essence in my work is my challenge and delight. Sharing them through my paintings is my pleasure.”

She is a member of the Guild of Creative Art, Pine Shores Art Association, the N.J. Pastel Painters Society, the Plein Air Painters of the Jersey Coast, and the Monmouth County Arts Council.

Nessa’s work can be seen on her own website - www.nessamorse.com
or on either the Guild of Creative Arts’ website - www.guildofcreativeart.com
or the Plein Air Painters of the Jersey Coast’s website - www.thepapjc.com