Nell Blair Walden Blaine (July 10, 1922 in Richmond, Virginia – November 14, 1996 in New York City) was an American landscape painter, expressionist, and watercolorist. From Richmond, Virginia, she had most of her career based in New York City and Gloucester, Massachusetts. Early life and education Nell Blaine was born on July 10, 1922 in Richmond, Virginia to Harry Wellington Blaine and his second wife Eudora Catherine Garrison. She was cross-eyed and sickly as a child. When she was two, her parents realized that she was extremely nearsighted and had her fitted with glasses. She later recalled her excitement over suddenly being able to see the world around her as she rushed around exclaiming "water, tree, and house." After Nell was born, her father continued to mourn his first wife, who had died in childbirth. He expressed his grief as anger toward his daughter, in the form of verbal and often physical abuse. His second wife, Eudora, had taught grade-school for ten years before Nell's birth. When Nell's health was too fragile for her to attend school, Eudora Blaine tutored the girl at home for a year. At the age of five, Nell told her mother she wanted to make art. Blaine's father lost his job as a lumber inspector, and had to settle for lesser pay during the Great Depression. The Blaine grandfather moved in with the family in its already crowded space. Blaine loved her grandfather and recalled that he loved to dance, could crack jokes, and told brilliant stories. She was teased at school because of her crossed eyes, and fought back physically. She was described as pale and undernourished; her school placed her in a special class and on a strict diet. Because of her condition, she had special nap times and more outdoor activities than the average child. Blaine's crossed eyes were corrected after she visited her Aunt Nellie Sue and family in Baltimore. Blaine had several operations at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and had to wear bandages for months. But at thirteen, she had improved vision and returned to school and more acceptance from peers. Blaine's drawing skills improved greatly because of the surgery. Her cousin Ruth bought her her first set of watercolor paints, and Nell was intrigued by its movement on paper. But during her teenage years, her father was repeatedly ill. He suffered from cardiac asthma and a series of heart