Nancy Lee Moran will talk about anything other than herself. Ask about nursing, or southeast Nebraska's hilly landscapes, or even other artists, and she speaks passionately and articulately. But inquire about Nancy Lee Moran and you can expect a pause. Maybe that's why she was voted Most Polite in her high school class of 500 students. It may also contribute to her growing popularity as one of Nebraska's finest portrait artists. The soft-spoken 43-year-old (This article was written in 2001) Auburn woman's goal isn't to become a known name in the art world. She puts her focus not on herself but on the people in the paintings, and it shows. "Each one has a special story, and I love getting to know the people and families I paint," she said.

The pleasure of getting to know her subjects has helped Moran overcome shyness and become an effective promoter of her work. (For the art on this page, "A Moment in Time") Moran spent several hours walking with the family in the woods near Brownville, asking questions of Mary Ann about her own upbringing and what she was looking for in the portrait. Moran learned of Mary Ann's love of peonies, so she added those to the portrait. Uncovering and incorporating such particulars endears Moran to her clients in a personal way that better-known artists lose on their way to fame, perhaps the same way a restaurant pianist enjoys a rapport with diners that a concert pianist misses.

Balancing the business side of art with the creative side is a challenge for every artist. It was especially difficult for Moran. "I was very shy, so it was harder for me to learn to promote myself than to learn to paint," she said. "I didn't understand a lot of things about business, but I did know it was important to learn." Most artists, like many insurance salespeople, find self-promotion challenging. But despite her reserved personality, Moran persevered. "I didn't find it as stressful as being a registered nurse (her original profession)," she said. "It doesn't' compare to the stress of having a couple of minutes to get IVs and the right medicine into a heart attack victim, or working a life and death situation on the obstetrics ward.

Moran hasn't regretted her decision to trade the health profession for portraiture. She still cares for people, only at happier times in their lives. Art clients often tell her they can sense she was a nurse because of the gentle way she works with them. The detailed medical charts she was known for are now notes she keeps on the people she paints, and her knowledge of human anatomy helps her paint more realistically.

Painting portraits in Auburn suits her fine. "I like the small town life, and the quieter pace is better for me and my work. I can be reflective here. From my studio in my home I can look out over the hills," Moran said. "We live on the edge of town and can see hills and cattle grazing. We can be a one-car family because we can walk uptown to the stores or the school. It frees up time for family, for writing, for reading and for painting. This is a good place to nurture your creativity."

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in The Conduct of Life that art is a jealous mistress, and advised that the artist "not fetter himself with duties which will embitter his days and spoil him for his proper work." Certainly he would have found Auburn a proper home for artists and writers. Moran relishes the quiet; even as a teen she never liked rock music. Friends teased her in college because she listened to "dentist office music."

Even though Moran's client list has grown, she doesn't stop trying to improve her technique. "Just like a pianist must practice, I do too," she said. "I paint Nebraska landscapes and flowers and do life studies for exercise."

She constantly seeks critiques of her work. She sends surveys to past customers, asking them what she could do differently. And four times every year, she asks retired Peru State art professor Leland Sherwood to review her paintings. Opening herself to that type of review and criticism is further evidence that both her painting and her business skills have come a long way. Few professionals, introverts or extroverts, expose themselves to such scrutiny. But it's the sort of feedback a good nurse would seek in order to imporve how she cares for others, so why shouldn't a portrait aritst do the same? - Lisa Papenhausen