After completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Vermont, Meredith Niles worked as the director of Bradley Galleries in Montecito, California from 1978 to 1979. Meredith then opened the Meredith Niles Gallery next to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, between 1980 and1985, featuring contemporary painting and sculpture by California artists. She moved to New York City and for the next three years worked for Art News Magazine. Returning to California, she took a hiatus from the art world, spending a decade surrounded by nature, selling advertising for national park publications based in San Francisco. During that time she continued her own art pursuits taking figure drawing classes, painting, and attending monthly openings at the numerous galleries and museums in the Bay Area. In the fall of 2000, seeking her love of the outdoors, Meredith relocated to Tahoe to fulfill her lifelong dream of painting full time. Meredith’s current work reflects her mountain environment. She continues to paint large scale oil and acrylic still lifes concentrating on the effect of light on cool glinting silver and a variety of warm woody Tahoe cones, citrus, peaches and pears.
Meredith Niles describes her work:
“My intention in the paintings is to create a sense of calm, ironically using the boldest colors and shapes. I want the viewer to remove themselves from their hectic lives and momentarily contemplate the quiet tradition of the still life in the context of architecturally bold environments. I first combined silver service pieces and pinecones eliciting thoughts of one combining city life with one's weekends at play in the woods. I then became intrigued with the beauty of fruit and their reflections as the light comes through the window of my home. After living in Tahoe, of course the amazing lake and landscapes directed my attention outdoors. I find myself constantly looking at our paradise, almost framing a painting in my mind. But, no matter what series I am working on, I still love drawing portraits and the human figure. "
photo by Noel Acker
Meredith Niles describes her work:
“My intention in the paintings is to create a sense of calm, ironically using the boldest colors and shapes. I want the viewer to remove themselves from their hectic lives and momentarily contemplate the quiet tradition of the still life in the context of architecturally bold environments. I first combined silver service pieces and pinecones eliciting thoughts of one combining city life with one's weekends at play in the woods. I then became intrigued with the beauty of fruit and their reflections as the light comes through the window of my home. After living in Tahoe, of course the amazing lake and landscapes directed my attention outdoors. I find myself constantly looking at our paradise, almost framing a painting in my mind. But, no matter what series I am working on, I still love drawing portraits and the human figure. "
photo by Noel Acker