Nerissa Balland

Nerissa Balland is visual artist who creates abstract paintings and drawings in a variety of sizes and mixed media. She is extremely fascinated with the many levels of communication between the viewer and the piece, the artist and the work, and the artist to the viewer. In addition, Nerissa has been particularly interested in art as a means of communication throughout the various stages of her life.

Nerissa has had a strong desire to create since childhood. During her formal education, she fought to hold on to the innocence behind the creative process in order to maintain a balance of technique and “the unlearned.”

Extensively trained at Pratt Institute, Nerissa received a Master of Fine Arts in painting. She spent the last 18 years working in marketing, advertising, design, and events. Currently, Nerissa works full-time as a Contemporary Artist and develops her artistic communication in her current bodies of work deemed, "Protection Series and Empath Series.”

The Protection Series explores the definition of protection and how we define and experience it spiritually, emotionally, physically and metaphorically. She examines the universal symbols of the evil eye, the third eye, and the symbolic nature of the hand of God (Ham...

Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York
M.F.A., Concentration in Painting
Circle of Friends Academic Honors
5.2002

Denmark Design School, Copenhagen, Denmark
Certificate of Digital Design
Awarded Highest Academic Honors
6.2001- 8.2001

University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
B.A., Concentration in Drawing and Painting
5.1999