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A Choice to Paint Happy
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: August - 2022
There’s an undeniable power in the paintings of Nancy Delahaye – a healing balm borne of sorrow and loss.
How does a biomedical research Ph.D. in Louisianatransition to abstract artist in Highlands? Easy. But ithelps to have active left and right brains, a fondnessfor storytelling and doodling, and a longing for living in themountains near where her son would be going to college.Meet Nancy Delahaye, an enthusiastic biochemist and anequally passionate painter. Life’s influences directed her intomedical research.“While I worked full time in biomedical research, I learnedto paint as a hobby,” she says. “My big thing as a kid waswriting short stories and illustrating them. That was some-thing I just loved.”This spurred her love of creative art.Twenty years ago, she retired from research so she could stayhome with her infant son.She says, “While home I explored different styles of paintingand took art classes. Even though my early painting style wasrealistic still life, I began to acknowledge abstract art was mytrue passion.”Nancy loves painting large abstract landscapes. Highlands’scenery inspires her work. Everywhere she looks she sees ascene that begs her to capture it on canvas.“I paint in very vibrant colors,” she says. “Some of mycollectors say they meditate, getting lost in my work and seesomething new repeatedly.”That’s part of the magic of abstraction. New shapes materialize,tempered by the time of day, the direction of light, and the stateof mind of the viewer. Feedback from her fans suggests her pieces are ever changing.Maybe those layers of meaning and emotion manifest inNancy’s psyche and are revealed on an emotional level inher art. She’s endured losses of those close to her. That painhas thrown a lot of curve balls at her.“When I think of my pain, I realize I have a choice tobe happy and express myself through art,” she says.“Hopefully the restorative gifts I’ve been given can bepassed on to others who view my work. I believe art, likemedicine, can heal. I feel like I am part of a chain that takesaway peoples’ pain, one link at a time.”See more of Nancy’s work on social media. Instagram:nancydelahayeart, and Facebook: nancyarbourdelahaye. Sheenjoys commission work and looks forward to connectingwith new friends and old.
by Donna Rhodes
