Meet The Artist 

My name is Nina Elaine Thompson. 
I am a self-taught artist, from South West Washington (United States) and I am the proprietor of SteelArt By N.E.Thompson.  
I have been drawing for over 30 years. My mediums include colored pencils for drawings and acrylic paint for paintings. I occasionally use other mediums such as pastels or gel pens. 
Inspiration for my artwork comes from places I've experienced, various car shows, back roads, and junk yards. I've immersed myself in the classic car culture of the area I grew up in and fallen in love with a certain Washington grunge vibe that I get from seeing old abandoned cars and forgotten places. The abandoned cars are also a strong reminder of growing up at my grandparents' place. My grandfather had a large chunk of property with a bunch of old cars parked on it. When we were small, my brother and I would play in the old trucks there, and pretend to be driving them. If you can picture a couple of kids playing in some old junk truck parked under moss-covered cedar trees, that was us.
Some other aspects of my life that have influenced my art along my journey include snowboarding, my love of cats, and a holiday called Halloween (I'm a year-round Halloween enthusiast). So far, I have built art collections surrounding seasonal themes, classic automobiles, motorcycles, boats, animals (primarily cats), nature, the Pacific Northwest, rural living, and snowboarding. 
A lot of my artwork has been created from reference photos I've taken myself during moments when I felt compelled to take a picture of something that made me feel a certain way. Later, these become a source of inspiration, and I take those moments and create pieces of art about them, which tell the truth about life, as I see it. 
Nothing lasts forever. Cars are scrapped, buildings are torn down or eroded, old lives pass on, and make way for the new. When it's all gone, the artwork will preserve the beauty of it all and tell its story in some small way. 
When I look at my artwork, I feel a sense of peace, a feeling of enchantment, a hint of nostalgia. I share it with others and hope they feel some of that too. Most of all I hope that I can release some inspiration into the world.
My artistic journey began when I was seven years old, starting out drawing cartoon characters. Encouragement from my Grandparents at that young age fueled the fire to continue with this passion. Since then, I have continued to develop my skills over the years, drawing all sorts of things. I took up painting eleven years ago. Just eight years ago I began to make my art available to others. I am now working mostly in realism, making my living selling my original drawings, paintings, and art prints. This has been a continuous journey. I don't believe you ever really "arrive", rather, you just keep journeying through to the next phase.
Although I don't know exactly where it will take me, I chose to spend my life creating art because the ability to create visual art is a gift bestowed upon me, not to be wasted.
I know that at the end of my life, I will never look back in regret pursuing a life in art.
My life could not have been what it is without this experience.