Maria Nesbit’s Studio And Gallery
At the creative convergence of landscape photography, fine art, and natural realism is unique Rockport artist, Maria Nesbit. The Maria Nesbit Art Gallery and Photo Studio, is flooded with light and positive energy, awash in birds, boats, and sunrises and drenched in pinks, purples, teals, tangerines, and all shades in between. An incredibly gifted photographer, Maria’s photos are gorgeous, vibrant, and energetic shots of life in and around Rockport, and the joy she feels in nature is captured in her photos. Maria describes her art as natural realism and says, “My goal is to combine my artistic vision with my technical knowledge to create images that transcend the ordinary.”
The 4-year-old gallery is a walk-in/working studio and is loaded with paintings and photographs. Of course, Maria does portraits and head shots, weddings, and event photography, but after seeing her artistic fine art landscape work, you may not remember anything else!
Most recently, Maria did all the photographs for The Story of the Rockport-Fulton Art Colony, a glorious full color, hard copy, coffee-table book by Kay Kronke Betz and Vicki Moon Merchant. Rockport, like Carmel-by-the-Sea, is a known art colony and represents the Texas Gulf Coast aesthetic and its regional landscape, which is an emerging and influential school of art. Maria photographed paintings that embody the vernacular of the Gulf geography and lifestyle, and the book chronicles Rockport’s emergence from a small fishing village to the oasis of creativity and visual art that it is today.
At the moment, Maria also represents the art of Joey Blazek, a well-known painter from Beaumont, TX, whose coastal paintings of birds, boats, and sunrises echo Maria’s photos in another medium. Both contain an exuberance and love for their surroundings that transcends the canvas, transporting the viewer to life in the coastal south. At any time, Maria may represent 3 to 4 other artists in her gallery.
Maria also provides personalized art services to homeowners and has done so for many at The Reserve at St. Charles Bay. She will come to your home and see what your art needs are, suggest photographs that complement the space and your decor, and then hang them for you. She calls this her ‘pink hammer’ service, as she actually uses a pink hammer.
Originally from Veracruz, Mexico, Maria taught at Rockport High School for 30 years, only arriving at her current career after retiring. Though I assume the Aransas County Independent School District misses her, the school’s loss is the art community’s gain, and we are glad Maria turned her one-time hobby into the successful business it is today.
Maria’s work has been recognized and shown at the Rockport Art Festival since 2016, and she also teaches classes at the Rockport Center for the Arts and looks forward to continuing that in their new space.
Maria’s favorite part of the business is building relationships with her customers and helping them achieve happiness through art. Thanks to her extraordinary talent, her dedication to Rockport, and the exhilaration of her stunning photos, she is doing just that.
