Born in Florida, Cecelia DuPont Parnin received her BA in art from Florida State University and then relocated to Winston Salem, NC where she worked initially as a graphic designer and then as an art director for 32 years. 

“I have been drawing and painting as long as I can remember. As a child no gift was better than art supplies, and actually that’s still the case. My graphic art education provided a way to use my artistic talents, while juggling all the responsibilities of a family. I worked as a graphic designer and art director while raising our family, but after retiring from the hectic world of advertising, I now use oil and acrylic paint to express myself.”

Cecelia has been doing commission pet portraits and landscape paintings for about 10 years. After retiring to the NC coast, the beaches and especially the inner coastal waters are where she finds her inspiration. 

“The layers of colors in the sky, water and grasses are endless and ever changing. I just love color. In my advertising career I had an eye for balancing tones in retouching photography and understood exactly how each color could be created. Now I find myself constantly intrigued with the subtle and delicate hues that make up our coast and how they change with the seasons, light, and even atmosphere.”