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Nina Trepanier-Schmidt is a Fond du Lac-based painter who operates a small business, Nina's Palette. Her paintings have been in many shows and galleries around the country.

Trepanier-Schmidt says her work is often described as impressionistic, but she focuses more on the feeling of things and the light and color those things represent – as well as the story behind them.

"I think of my art as stories being written. A written history of life as I live it," says Trepanier-Schmidt. "I paint a lot of landscapes, as I am obsessed with a good horizon line. I also paint still life, and an occasional figure or pet portrait to pay the bills."

Trepanier-Schmidt has many paintings for sale and she also accepts commissions. Check out her work and business here.

Since the stay-at-home orders, like all moms, Trepanier-Schmidt's had to adjust to having her three kids at home 24 / 7. It's not something she minds, just something she's had to acclimate to as an artist. 

"I am a stay-at-home mom, and in the past I would wait until the kids were in school and the house was quiet in order to create. Now, having everyone home has meant I need to adjust," says Trepanier-Schmidt.

Music, she says, helps her greatly in all situations, including her current one which involves a loss of work due to a world pandemic.

"Art is my own world. My own stories. My own place. It is deeply satisfying to bring to life a scene the way my eye sees it, the way my heart feels it."

Nina's Palette is on Facebook and Instagram.