Passion for art
Nina Stingley Goldman talks about her talent has shaped her life.
A"My most fulfilling work comes when I paint or sculpt from memories or imagination, and I hope my art reflects that life is a journey.”—Nina Stingley Goldman
walk through Nina Stingley Goldman’s house reveals where her talent lies. Nestled in the midst of an acre of trees, Goldman’s house shows paintings and sculptures she has produced. Art has always been her passion.
Goldman grew up in Texarkana and attended schools on the Texasside.
“My first art class was in the seventh grade. The teacher introduced us to famous artists like Van Gogh and Rembrandt. I loved everything about them. Rembrandt used the faces of people in the Jewish ghetto in his paintings of biblical scenes. Van Gogh painted ‘The Man in the Yellow Hat,’ and recently I painted a picture from memory of my late older sister. I painted a yellow hat on her head,” she said.
Goldman had two sisters and a brother. Only one sister survives. She lives in Tyler, Texas. Both her sisters were accomplished pianists, and her brother became a coach under the late Watty Myers. “Our parents supported us in whatever we wanted to do,” she said. Goldman took piano lessons from the late Edward Walters and said with a smile, “My two sisters were good on piano but I wasn’t, so Mr. Walters and I would talk art. He gave me my first art history book. I had lost my father, and Mr. Walters was so good to me and was emotionally supportive.”
Goldman found another friend and support in high school when she took art lessons from Walter McDonald. “I had a job, and I used my money for art lessons. Mr. McDonald taught me everything I know about mixing paints. He taught me that you can do a lot with a few different colors by mixing them. He was a very kind man.”
Another local support in her artistic endeavors was Jo Morgan, who taught night classes for adults in art. “She encouraged me. People don’t realize the impact of encouragement,” Goldman said.
Always majoring in art, Goldman attended Texarkana Junior College one year and then transferred to East Texas State in Commerce, Texas. After one year, she transferred to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where a new world of art opened up to her.
“In D.C. are many art galleries and museums, including the National Gallery of Art. This was better than reading about the artists in books,” she said. Goldman spent two and a half years in D.C. and earned a Bachelor of Arts in visual art from George Washington University.
Then she settled in Little Rock and taught art in a high school in nearby Benton. “At the Art Center Museum School in Little Rock, I got into clay,” she said. “I fell in love with clay; it is so tactile. You can form things from memory or imagination. I started using my imagination in clay, and then in painting. It all ties together.”
Goldman has displayed her artwork through the years. The Chroma Gallery in Little Rock invited her to display 10 of her clay female figures in an art show. And the Arkansas Repertory Theatre in Little Rock invited Goldman to display five paintings in conjunction with the production of “Guys and Dolls.” She was asked to have them ready to be hung and displayed, along with a price for each piece in case anyone wanted to buy them. She also displayed a life-sized sculpture at the big Delta show in Little Rock. In 1992, she displayed artwork at the Arkansas Territorial Restoration organization.
In 2016, Goldman displayed both paintings and sculptures at Texas A&M University-Texarkana’s John F. Moss Library. “My most fulfilling work comes when I paint or sculpt from memories or imagination, and I hope my art reflects that life is a journey,” she said at that time. She
has also displayed a painting in the TRAHC show.
Goldman’s life continues in an enjoyable and productive manner. Ten years ago when she retired, she was glad to move back to her home in the woods in Texarkana. She had rented the house during the years she was away. She said that sometimes she will glance out her window and notice how the scene through the window could be enhanced just by making a small change to a branch or the shrubbery.
All of her life is seen through an artist’s eye.
“The first five years I was home, I did a lot of painting and landscaping in my yard. I want to keep the yard natural,” she said.
She has found others interested in clay who meet at First Baptist Church, Moores Lane. Elaine Early leads the group and makes plenty of clay available. Goldman said that Early fires what Goldman does at home. And while at First Baptist, Goldman also became interested in Larry Sims’ weekly Bible class for seniors and faithfully attends his class. She is a member of St. James Episcopal Church.
Goldman’s son, Ted, lives in Seattle, along with his wife, M.K., and daughter Isabelle. At her house, Goldman has on display her painting of Ted and Isabelle.
Isabelle, a sophomore at Seattle University, gave Goldman a book of Rembrandt’s work.
Goldman said her family has always been supportive of her artistic projects.
Goldman relishes her life at home in her woods. “Nature keeps me inspired,” she said.
ON THE COVER: Nina Stingley Goldman poses for a portrait July 12 in Texarkana, Ark. Goldman is a painter and sculptor who creates works of art from mixed mediums.
Staff photo by Hunt Mercier