Before leaving the advertising agency environment, Nadine Prada worked in the roles of both art and creative director at some of the most recognizable agencies in the world including Ogilvy & Mather, Arnold Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Young & Rubicam. During that time she racked up numerous awards for ad campaigns created for clients including Dove, American Express, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Tylenol.

But six years ago she left that world to become a freelance art director so that she could devote more attention to her own vision as a painter. Nadine is also passionate about encouraging other artists to create and make a living from their work and to educate the public about how to demystify and enjoy art.

We met as presenters at Essential Edge, a conference for artists in Raleigh this past year and I was intrigued with both her work and thought processes. I immediately asked Nadine to carve out a time that we could chat some more.