Painting is what God created me to do. He has given me the gift of creative ability. More than that, He constantly supplies me with inspiration and makes me receptive to “see” what He places in front of us all. Many more gifted writers have put pen to paper to define inspiration therefore I will not attempt to explain here what inspiration is other than to say it is a gift.  Simply put, I love painting. I love the entire process, from the first inspiration and the photographs, and the mental brush stokes that I make before ever making the first brush stroke on canvas to hanging the finished painting on the wall.  I love that I can create something with my hands, head and heart that can be enjoyed by others. And yes, I also love that people enjoy my paintings enough to buy them!

Other than some general art classes at the University of Montevallo, I am a self-taught artist; beginning with the days when I knocked on doors selling watercolor “House Portraits.” I took several years away from painting to do my best work; raising three wonderful children. It has only been the last six years that I have seriously returned to oil painting, creating the bold and sometimes larger than life paintings that I am known for. 

My paintings hang in private homes in several states as well as corporate collections and churches. Many paintings hang in ArtScapes Gallery (www.councilofthearts.org) in Pell City, Alabama, where I also teach oil painting classes.

Commissions
Pricing paintings is a subjective matter. What price is there to emotion, to sell what was created by a spark of inspiration that would not be denied? Commission paintings are created for someone else, not born out of myself. I have attempted here to create base price information for commission paintings

Portraits begin at $1,500. They are created in whatever manner the subject allows. While I prefer to meet the subject and take photographs; that is not always possible (see the story of Gram Gram).

Pet portraits begin at $500.

I frequently have people ask me to paint a “memory,” (see Ashville Savings Bank). Or for example a picture of Grandma’s house, with objects from childhood memories added. Memories of a vacation or a hunting trip can be combined into a painting that is not possible in a photograph. I enjoy the challenge of painting what is in someone else’s head and the satisfaction of seeing the smile on the face of a customer as they say “that’s the way I remember it.”  Prices for this type of painting vary beginning at $500.

References for commission paintings done are available on request, contact nettie@nettiebean.com

Framing:
Many of the paintings on the website are framed and hang in ArtScapes Gallery in Pell City, Alabama. Paintings can be sold with or without the frame. Contact me nettie@nettiebean.com  for photos of frames.