About The Artist

2024 Bio for Nell Bednarz: Texas native Nell Bednarz seeks to honor the Lord God, inspired by the teachings of Jesus Christ. With an emphasis on line, she explores the influences of nature, faith, and cultural heritage on our lives. In her drawings and  pastel paintings, Abstraction and Impressionism allow her new ways to express emotion. Her current work explores God's Messengers and angelic encounters. Bednarz began working with photography while doing farm work with her father, Jack O’Briant. She learned drawing from school art classes, and her mother Wilma Little initially taught her how to paint in oils when she was 16 years old. The materials she uses are a natural extension of her life, as close to the land as the pigments she uses. As an active member of the Pastel Society of Southeast Texas and the Pastel Society of the Southwest,  Nell Bednarz resides in Fort Worth, Texas. When asked what is most rewarding in developing fine art, Bednarz remarks, “My hope is to reflect the Glory and Love of our Creator, to serve Him by encouraging people to seek Him. We artists are essential to the health of our communities, and stepping out into the chaos after hurricanes (2008, 2017), floods (2016, 2017), and fires (2011, 2014) has taught me that communities heal best when artists help with recovery." Nell Bednarz’ award-winning work has been featured in membership drives and fundraising efforts for the Arabian Leopard Trust, Audubon Venezuela, VAAUW-International Association of University Women, Nature Conservancy (Texas), Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, NorthReach University (Africa), Lost Pines Art Center of Bastrop Texas, Rockport Center for the Arts (Texas), and many local charities. Her work may be found in private collections in the US, Mexico, Venezuela, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Russia and Europe. A number of her pastel paintings and drawings were juried into the "International Contemporary Masters, Vol.8", published by World Wide Art in 2014. Paintings from that collection became part of 2015 International Contemporary Masters exhibition in Las Vegas at Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art. Paris and Rome exhibitions with MUSA International Art Space (2017) included her painting "Butterfly Dance, Circa 1920". Online, she is represented by Artavita (California). You can also see her work via Pastel Society of SE Texas website and on FaceBook.