Connie Nagele, originally from Kansas, is an avid gardener who uses a paintbrush to translate her love of living things to canvas. The tropical climate near her previous home in Southern California yielded inspiration and she is actively exploring gardens around her new residence in Naples, Florida.

Nagele is essentially a self-taught artist who began painting more than twenty years ago in order to bring the outdoors inside her home. Her traditional floral still lifes have been overtaken by oversized flowers in the spirit of Georgia O’Keeffe. Blossoms fill her canvases and spill over the edges. Nagele has perfected her photography in order to use it as a first step for her paintings and always has her camera ready when exploring a new landscape or public garden. Back in the studio, she feels free to exaggerate each subject in order to accentuate the shapes and focus attention on details that are often hidden when viewed casually.

Nagele’s passion has turned into a career. Over the past decade, as she has exhibited more frequently, her work has entered numerous private collections.