Nancy Riedell is an internationally recognized, award-winning watercolor artist whose practice reflects a lifelong dedication to observation, experimentation, and expressive color. Originally from California and now based in Ely, Nevada, Riedell’s artistic journey began early and developed through both formal education and persistent personal exploration. She graduated from San Francisco State University, where she studied Fine Arts and built a strong technical foundation through courses in figure drawing, color values, acrylics, oils, and art history. This academic background provided her with a broad understanding of visual language and historical context, which continues to inform her approach to watercolor today.
While her education refined her skills, Riedell’s relationship with art was established long before university. From childhood, she was encouraged by her mother to explore creativity through art materials and books, nurturing both discipline and imagination. This early support allowed Riedell to develop technique without losing the sense of wonder that remains central to her work. Over time, this balance between structure and freedom became a defining characteristic of her artistic voice.
Discovering Watercolor as a Primary Medium
Although Riedell studied and worked with a range of media, watercolor ultimately became her primary form of expression. Known for its delicacy and unpredictability, watercolor demands both control and surrender, qualities that align closely with Riedell’s artistic temperament. Rather than treating watercolor as a purely transparent or restrained medium, she embraces boldness, using strong, saturated colors and dynamic compositions to create works that feel both immediate and intentional.
Color plays a central role in Riedell’s paintings. Her bold palette is not decorative but expressive, communicating emotion, atmosphere, and movement. Landscapes, abstracts, and florals alike are infused with intensity, reflecting her passion for both subject matter and process. Through watercolor, she captures moments that feel alive, as though they are still unfolding on the paper.
The Influence of Travel and Observation
Riedell approaches art with an open and opportunistic mindset, always attentive to potential subjects. Photography plays an important role in her creative process, allowing her to document scenes that later become the foundation for paintings. Her travels have provided a rich visual archive, ranging from natural landscapes to unexpected urban details.
She has captured luminous sunrises in Monterey County, distinctive beach scenes in Santa Cruz County, and unconventional, character-filled locations in Portland, Oregon. Her work also reflects her fascination with geological forms, seen in her depictions of unusual rock formations in New Mexico and Nevada. Further afield, covered bridges in Pennsylvania, expressive abstracts, and vibrant florals expand her visual vocabulary. Each location offers its own rhythm, color story, and emotional resonance, which Riedell translates into watercolor with sensitivity and strength.
These diverse influences contribute to the uniqueness of her work. Rather than aiming for literal representation, she distills the essence of a place or subject, allowing memory, emotion, and experimentation to shape the final image.
A Career Marked by Recognition
Riedell’s dedication to her craft has resulted in significant professional recognition. Her artwork has been displayed in galleries and exhibitions on both the East and West Coasts, placing her work within a broad national and international context. Over the course of her career, she has received nine awards and has been featured in four publications, affirming both the technical excellence and emotional impact of her paintings.
This recognition reflects not only her mastery of watercolor but also her willingness to explore beyond conventional boundaries. Riedell’s work appeals to collectors, curators, and viewers who appreciate both skill and experimentation, tradition and innovation.
Exploring Abstraction Through Experimentation
While Riedell is deeply inspired by landscapes and observable subjects, abstraction plays an equally important role in her practice. Abstract works allow her to focus on movement, texture, and color relationships without the constraints of representation. These pieces often emerge through experimentation, where the process itself becomes a subject.
Her abstract approach is evident in her willingness to test new materials and techniques. Rather than adhering strictly to traditional watercolor methods, she seeks ways to expand the medium’s possibilities. This curiosity led to the creation of one of her notable abstract works, Melting.
Melting: Process, Material, and Meaning
Melting is an abstract watercolor created as a sample piece to experiment with watercolor ground, a thick, viscous medium that allows watercolor to be applied in layers and over previously worked surfaces. Watercolor ground alters the behavior of pigment, enabling greater texture, opacity, and physical presence than traditional paper alone. For Riedell, this material became an exciting addition to her practice, opening new avenues for expression.
In Melting, paint appears to cascade, dissolve, and shift, evoking a sense of motion and impermanence. The work does not attempt to depict a specific object or scene but instead invites the viewer into a moment of transformation. The physical qualities of the watercolor ground enhance this sensation, allowing the paint to drip, pool, and interact in unpredictable ways.
A curator from Belgium eloquently described the conceptual framework surrounding works like Melting, noting that the curation encompasses the beauty of falling apart. Ice melting, cream dripping, and paint cascading in unruly streams become metaphors for time, gravity, and transformation. There is sweetness alongside decay, playfulness meeting loss. The drip, as a mark left behind, becomes evidence of what was once whole.
Within this context, Melting functions as both a visual experience and a philosophical reflection. It reminds viewers that nothing lasts forever and that impermanence can be both poignant and beautiful. Riedell’s use of watercolor ground reinforces this message, as the medium itself resists complete control, mirroring the themes of submission and change.
An Ongoing Journey of Discovery
Nancy Riedell’s work stands at the intersection of technical mastery, emotional expression, and material exploration. From her early encouragement in childhood to her formal education and professional recognition, her journey has been shaped by curiosity and commitment. Whether capturing the spirit of a landscape, the vibrancy of florals, or the abstract poetry of transformation, Riedell continues to push watercolor beyond expectations.
Now based in Ely, Nevada, she carries with her a lifetime of visual experiences and a willingness to experiment. Her paintings invite viewers to slow down, observe closely, and embrace the beauty found in change. Through bold color, dynamic process, and thoughtful abstraction, Nancy Riedell’s art offers a compelling meditation on place, time, and the ever-evolving nature of creative expression.
