Mary Nicholson
Artworks
Long Beach California

Mary Nicholson is a late bloomer. She was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She never thought of herself as having any artistic abilities other than stick people until after her second child was born at age 40.  Her child, Regina Diane, started showing artistic talent at 18 months of age. Mary began purchasing art instruction books to encourage her daughter and spent time sketching with her, and before long started working on portraits of family members. When her daughter was eight, she took her on a visit to the Crystal Cathedral to take pictures of the campus and the sculptures. During the visit, she noted an art exhibit. It was that moment,  she knew God meant for her to paint his life on earth in a form people could feel on an emotional level as if they had experienced the sacrifice.

She began taking art courses at UCLA, Palos Verdes Art Center and Culver City Adult Education classes to improve her skills seven years ago. Mary is mainly a self taught artist with dozens of art instruction books. She is currently working with a mentor instructor in Redondo Beach.

 

Mary currently works full time as a registered renal dietitian at Davita United Dialysis in Long Beach, California and is an independent distributor: www.sweetgalleries.scent-team.com at artbydesign101@yahoo.com   for Scent-Sations a gourmet company.  She is looking to build a team of distributors in Southern California.  The gourmet soy based, triple scented candles are available through direct sales or on line and fundraisers.  Top distributors in the company are making over $300,00 per year.  It is a young growth company that grossed $10 MILLION last year and is projected to double sales this year.

 

 She is currently on a fundraising campaign to aid Kidney Disease Awareness and Prevention:  Tour DaVita.  It involves participation in a bike ride from Birmingham, Alabama to Nashville, Tennessee 237 miles from September 12-15. Participation in the ride/fundraiser is her 55 year birthday present to herself. Her daughter, Regina Diane and her son, Don West 31 years old and a nature photographer & author  of Mountain Biking Northern Arkansas : butterfieldpublishing@cox.net plan to participate in the ride.  We are saling artwork and Mia Bella gourmet candles to raise funds for The Kidney Trust foundation.  Please join us in raising funds for this cause.  25% of all sales for candles and  50% artwork will be donated to The Kidney Trust for kidney disease awareness and prevention education.  If you have diabetes or hypertension, you are at high risk of kidney failure over the next 5 ot 24 years.   Learn how to prevent it.  Visit kidneytrust.org and visit tourdavita.org and support Mary Nicholson rider #1231.  Donations are tax deductable.

Over the last 6 years, she has been inspired to complete over 100 paintings including watercolor, charcoal, pastels, acrylics, and oil paintings. Her goal is always to produce something that looks real, familiar, and has the ability to stimulate emotions in people. It could be an object, a place, an animal, a face you know or want to know, or even a touch from God. She feels her art is a God-given talent intended for the enjoyment and inspiration of all. The "Sacrificial Love" exhibit is eighteen paintings of the last 24 hours of Christ's life on Earth. The first painting was completed shortly after seeing the movie "The Passion of the Christ." She painted the last 15 paintings in a three month period after finding her mentor instructor Kim Lee. Spending 32 hours a week painting in addition to a full time job, Mary was driven to complete the series by Easter of 2006. The first public showing was at Lakewood Baptist Church in Lakewood, California for Good Friday. For 2007, she is working on a new series of paintings, "He Is Risen" to be completed by Easter this year.

 

Regina Diane Nicholson, Mary's daughter, is now 14 years old.  She has begun to show exceptional

talent in her oil paintings and pencil drawings.  Her art training has been in school, at her mother's side, and at Palos Verdes Art Center.  Her mediums have included pastel, pencil, acrylic, pen & ink, clay and metal sculpture, and oil.