Eyes to See, Hands to Feel, and Soul to Be
Nelly Zamora Jones
As a child I drew with my eyes and the places I experienced became engraved in my mind. I learned about the beauty of drawing with pencils and pastels on paper. Even the many drawings I did on the sidewalk with the gypsum chalk so commonly found in Florida was not enough for me; so the brown paper grocery bags ended at the mercy of my hands.
By far the greatest gift received at the completion of my Masters was receiving the Cintas Foundation Fellowship, which made a reality all the passion and arduous work I had done. It was a great time to travel alone: reflecting, drawing, writing, sketching, and making art throughout Europe.
Like a Nautilus Shell, each year I grow a new ring. I am a visual poet with a song to sing with or without my guitar and the voice in the wilderness will be heard by many, while others don’t listen. Every day is a gift for me, in the highs and in the lows, for I know that I will always learn something that I will always take to the canvas, the clay, the wood, the pastels, the sculptures, the music… and ultimately share it with others. I find pleasure in all media of expression and I am disciplined to strive for excellence in each medium.
As an artist, I express my experiences and ideas through both visual and verbal language.
BIOGRAPHY
Education:
GRANTS
Cintas Foundation Fellowship for the Arts, New York, 1976-77. Extensive travels and studies abroad.
SHOWINGS AND PERMANENT EXHIBITS
Salon of Contemporary Arts in Paris, Miami-Dade Cintas Fellows Exhibit in Miami, XFestival of Cuban Painters, Masterpieces for the Millennium, Va., The Prizery, Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, University of South Florida Solo Exhibit, South of the James, Richmond, Lynchburg Fine Arts Center Juried shows, Danville Art League, Piedmont Art Center,Martinsville, Versailles, Miami Beach
PUBLIC ART . MURALS . COMMISSION WORK
Halifax-Regional Hospital, O’Sole Mio, Convergence Art Guild, Don Cecilio, Italian Delight, Meadowview Terrace Medical facility, Meadowview Terrace Cafe, Person County Art Guild
