Exuberance is the unifying theme in the work and life of artist Patrice Nelson.  Throughout her colorful collages and paintings, her eclectic home, energetic family life and many friendships, Patrice’s joyous personality is a strong central element. As a wife and mother of four, Patrice’s depends on spontaneous whimsy to allow her to ride out life’s inevitable chaos. These qualities allow her to sort through and endless array of collage elements and found objects and to create works with exceptional composition and balance of color.

Patrice Murphy Nelson was born in California in 1960. She and her three siblings were raised between her father’s tall Texan relatives in Fort Worth and mother’s Scandinavian family on the lakes of Minnesota.  The “can-do” self-reliance inherent in her ancestry and a naturally positive attitude allowed Patrice to make the best of many transitions in her life and encouraged her to develop skills essential in the art of collage:  to see potential in the ordinary or overlooked, to create harmony out of disparate elements, to persevere and to create beauty out of what is at hand.

Patrice studied art and design at Minnesota State University Moorhead and is a former student of Lyme Art Association, Wesleyan Potters, The Art Cellar in Clinton and Guilford Handcraft Center.   With many life experiences under her belt, she now makes her home in Chester, CT. , with her husband, Jeff and four children, ages 6-22.