From Classroom to Canvas: Elaine Nunnally's Artistic Journey

Watercolor artist Elaine Whaley Nunnally takes us on a vibrant journey through her artistic life, revealing how an innate talent for drawing evolved into a remarkable 40-year career as an art educator and award-winning painter. Despite early discouragement from pursuing art professionally, Elaine followed her passion, discovering unexpected joy in teaching that perfectly matched her energetic, attentive personality.

The conversation sparkles when Elaine describes the genesis of her acclaimed Interstate Series - paintings that transform ordinary highway scenes into extraordinary watercolor compositions. During drives on Interstate 81 to art workshops, she began noticing the artistic potential in everyday landscapes that most travelers overlook. "When you drive, especially on the interstate, there's all these hills and occasional homes... bridges... it's beautiful. It's like art," she explains. This unique perspective has resonated deeply with viewers who had "never thought of things this way" - precisely the reaction she hoped to evoke.

Elaine's artistic achievements include signature membership in the prestigious American Watercolor Society, a distinction she modestly describes as "impossible" to attain. Yet her greatest fulfillment comes from teaching others to discover their creative potential. Her philosophy centers on creating "order out of chaos" and her advice to aspiring artists is refreshingly direct: "Do it anyway." Through illustrations for the children's book "Hurry, Scurry, but Do Not Worry" and her ongoing classes, Elaine continues to spread her belief that everyone possesses creative ability waiting to be unleashed. Listen as she shares why seeing the artistic elements in everyday moments matters - because in her words, "There's art in every day and in every moment."