At the beginning of the pandemic I was in a bit of a state of shock as was everyone else. Suddenly, our beautiful W Gallery in Wayland, run by our non-profit Arts Wayland, was closed. As president of Arts Wayland I felt the loss that it was to the community, our many volunteers, and local artists. The vibrant live music events surrounded by local artists' work were stopped.
It seemed impossible. Days dragged on and I threw myself into art-making using inspiration from art I loved to focus my mind. I had to keep it simple because my energy was low and my anxiety about the pandemic was ever present.
The idea of an online store
Making art always leads to wanting to share that art with others. I decided to try something I had thought about for a long time. An online store that would allow me to place my art on products to sell.
I create animal characters based on classic illustration. When I first created them I had an imaginary place where they lived, called Nellenby. Created from my first and middle names, Nancy Ellen.
So, Nellenby was up and running with products from my animals I call ‘Classic Inspiration’, from my Picasso designs I call ‘Picasso Inspiration’, and finally, from my traditional artwork of oil painting still life and landscape ‘Traditional Inspiration’.
At a distance I am able to reconnect with the community while doing something productive and creative.
Update: It is January 2022 and the pandemic is finally (!) winding down. We are all still a little unsure. My website is now Nancy Boyle, Art. My Etsy store still is Nellenby.
Thank you for reading,
NancyB
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