For over thirty years, Marilee Nielsen created an extensive body of artwork. Her recent venture into Urban Sketching is her most inspired work yet. She is an award-winning artist and signature member of National Watercolor Society, and teaches drawing and painting at Saddleback College in Southern California. She returns often to her roots in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she sketches the urban and native landscape. As a teacher and artist, she teaches how to see, record and appreciate the rustic environment of the southwest. ARTIST STATEMENT I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and think of it as my spiritual home. Currently, I spend my time teaching and working in both Southern California and Santa Fe. The Southwest is my heart’s home and I use the landscape, both native and urban to inspire my work and my teaching. My most recent venture into Urban Sketching has been a homecoming for me. The values and practice of Urban Sketching align with my spirit. It is fast, detailed, observant, humble and mindful. It is often created in a community of sketchers or in a place teeming with life. A farmers market, a busy street corner, an iconic spot in a city is where you will find a sketcher quietly recording the moment. As a teacher, I enjoy working with beginners and advanced students who are looking to obtain new skills, or refine and settle into a skill they have been developing for years. I believe we have all been given gifts to share, and my gift is my ability to express myself through art. I believe that uncovering these gifts by following what we hear our inner voice requesting of us, brings us the greatest joy in life. I strive to live a life that travels along my own inner journey and to be a guide to all who entrust their vision to me as their teacher. —Marilee