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Click to visit the
Official Town Site
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General News: Nita Klein: Nature Painter
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| Nita Klein in her studio. |
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| This pear is one of Klein's favorites |
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| She painted this watercolor of honey locust leaves recently |
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| A Nita Klein painting |
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| These paintings were being readied for the exhibit at Painter's |
November 30, 2007
Nita Klein is a prolific artist who finds abundant inspiration in the natural beauty of the Hudson Highlands. The public will be able to view her original pastels, watercolors, and acrylic paintings starting this weekend at Painters Tavern in Cornwall-on-Hudson.
Nita, who lives in the village, says that she paints every day, often from her kitchen table where she looks out into a forested yard, carpeted this week with yellow leaves that she finds irresistible.
On some days, Nita will be enticed by a single blossom; on others, by a stand of trees. She doesn’t limit herself to painting flowers, leaves, and trees, however, and her nude paintings portray the human figure in shadow and in grace.
Nita and her husband, Lawrence, have lived in the village, in a historic barn that once stood on the property of the Mexican war hero James Duncan, since 1970. She was born in Highland Falls, then moved to Peekskill, eventually leaving the area to attend the University of Vermont, where she met her husband.
She relocated to New York City where she attended Parsons School of Design, studying fashion design. “I must have drove my teacher crazy, sewing sleeves together when I was supposed to sew buttons on,” Nita recalls. She soon changed her focus to drawing, painting and pastels.
After graduation, she got a job in the art department of one of Manhattan’s biggest advertising agencies, Young & Rubican. She had a two-hour lunch and during her breaks she painted and sold her work to the art directors. Within a couple of years, she says, she had sold enough of her art at lunchtime to make it feasible not to work.
By the late 1960s, Nita had had enough of city life and she and her husband moved first to Westchester, then here. She sold her work at Bloomingdales and once had a commission to create an original painting for a hotel in Manhattan where every single room featured an original Nita Klein work. Today, her work hangs in many restaurants, including Cosimo’s chain, who use her work exclusively. She has won awards, like the 2006 Orange County Arts grant, and her painting of a pear recently appeared on the cover of Valley Table magazine.
Nita says that her work has evolved over time. When she first moved to this area, the trees in her paintings were thicker and darker, “My work today is softer,” she says, emphasizing “every little color and the line, just like an Oriental painting, it’s just the line.”
Nita says that she enjoys being alone in her home, painting, soaking up the quiet and the view out her window. She cautions that artists should only work when they are in a good mood and judging by her daily routine, Nita never lacks what she needs to paint.
Comments:
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She is a very talented artist. I had the opportunity to meet her and her husband a few years ago and I am a proud owner of one of her paintings.
I came across this site because I am looking for this artist's contact info. to purchase more of her work so if anyone reading this can help me out I'd really appreciate it.
posted by Andrea LaDue on 01/02/09 at 1:36 PM
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I have a beautiful water color painting by Nita Klein, I think it may be Dandelions in shades of blue,gray and white. If you are interested in it Andrea please contact me through this site.
posted by Sheri George on 08/19/09 at 10:50 PM
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Andrea I have a lovely watercolor painting for sale...if interested contact me throught this site.
posted by elgin upshaw on 06/18/10 at 3:47 PM
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I have one of here paintings from the 60's if you would like to see it please email me at [email protected]
posted by Jonathan Burke on 10/10/11 at 11:54 AM
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I have a Nita Klein watercolor its of 5 bird on the grond, if someone wants to see a picture of it e-mail me at [email protected].. and if you like make offer
posted by jimmie clark on 09/21/13 at 1:09 PM
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