Hello my Dabble family!
It’s Jen here, and I’m so excited for you to meet one of the kindest, most dedicated artists in our community — Nancy Greening from beautiful Live Oak, California.
Nancy is an artist whose creative spark began long before she hit double digits. She loved gifting her family and friends those nostalgic paint-by-number creations (you know, the ones with the tiny little numbers that taught us patience and the joy of “coloring inside the lines”… mostly). Even then, her heart was in every brushstroke.
Like many of us, life led her through other creative paths — knitting, crocheting, and sewing — but that whisper to paint never faded. Then one Christmas, her daughter gave her the nudge every artist dreams of: an oil painting class! Her very first painting? The iconic Mt. Hood in Oregon — talk about starting strong.
From there, Nancy dove into the world of William Alexander and Bob Ross (because really, who doesn’t want to paint a “happy little tree”?). But her true artistic rebirth came decades later. In 2019, she revisited painting through online classes, discovered her love for acrylics, and in early 2025, fate stepped in again.
She saw one of my Facebook ads and realized she had once taken a small aspen tree class with me years ago. She jumped right into our Let’s Dabble Group, and since then, she’s been one of our shining stars. Nancy loves the encouragement, the friendships, and the no-fear feedback that helps everyone grow. “I love looking forward each month to new tutorials or the privilege of going to the library to pick something I want to try,” she shared.
What inspires Nancy’s creativity the most:
“The beauty of ALL God’s creation. I especially like landscapes, birds, and butterflies.”
You can feel that love for nature in every stroke of her palette knife.
Here’s one of Nancy’s stunning paintings — her very first palette knife piece, Young Love, created in February 2025. It tells a story of courage, discovery, and the kind of artistic joy that only comes from following your heart. When I first saw it, I practically did a happy dance in my studio. You can feel her excitement and confidence bursting from the canvas — proof that when passion meets practice, magic happens.
What Nancy loves about DabblePaints™:
She laughed that the better question would be, “What don’t I like about DabblePaints?”
“I love the creaminess, easy spreadability, and wonderful mixability — there really is nothing I don’t like.”
Nancy, I think you just described exactly why I created these paints!
What she enjoys most about painting:
“The thing I enjoy most is that it takes me away — away from worry, stress, aches, and pains. It puts me into another sphere of mental and physical peace.”
I felt that deep in my artist soul. Painting truly does bring a peace that can’t be explained — it’s like exhaling after a long day and realizing you’ve created something beautiful in the process.
Nancy’s advice for beginners:
“If you have the desire — DO NOT QUIT. Practice makes perfect. You can fix anything you don’t like with this type of painting. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t like something you’ve done — hang it up, and soon you’ll see the beauty in it. Just don’t quit.”
If there were ever words to paint by, those are it.
Nancy, thank you for sharing your story, your heart, and your incredible journey with us. You’re an inspiration to all of us who believe art has the power to bring peace, purpose, and joy.
Keep creating, keep shining, and keep bringing more beauty into the world.
XO,
Jen