Meditation Owl sits with her eyes closed and head bowed, beak tucked into her breast. She looks as though she’s sleeping; a burrito of feathers wrapped snugly atop a tree branch, braced against a dark sky behind her. The owl embodies a certain peace, mindfulness, and calm contemplation that fills much of Gia Nold’s artistic world.
Gia Nold, Meditation Owl’s creator, is exactly how one might imagine a beloved art teacher to look. I met her at her studio on a sunny Friday afternoon, where she welcomed me with open arms, blue hair, and twinkling brown eyes. She is colorful and whimsical, therefore her art absolutely vibrates with animation and offbeat energy. Everything she creates is full of irresistible warmth and humor. I couldn’t help but smile, and often laugh, at nearly everything she showed me.
Gia is probably best known locally for her series of acrylic owl paintings which perch all over shops, galleries, offices, and homes in Evergreen. A current sellout piece is her Van Gogh Owl: a wide-eyed mousy-brown creature tucked below a golden sunflower. Frida Owl, with her ornate headpiece of bright blooms, is another fan-favorite. For me, Meditation Owl was a clear winner with her peaceful expression and fluffy feathers.
Gia creates much more than owls, however, and her studio is an absolute wonderland of large canvas oil paintings, charcoal linework and illusion washes, mixed-media collages made of recycled and handmade paper, self-portraits in various abstract styles, poetry, music, and photography. She has several vision boards pasted amongst her work on the walls, which serve to inspire and intrigue. “You want to be surrounded by what inspires you,” she tells me, as she points to examples of color palettes she’s studying, line and shape illustrations, quotes, photographs and, importantly, images of labradors.
“You want to be surrounded by what inspires you.”
My favorite piece in her studio has to be an oil painting she’s just finished, titled Where She Gathers. It features a woman without arms framed by flowing flowers and grasses. The scene appears almost windy, composed of blended oil paints that mix together in delicate, organic, cubist-style shapes to form her body. I took the photo of Gia with her painting. There’s a lot captured in this single photo; I could probably spend a few thousand words on just this image alone. Thank you, Gia, for welcoming me into your mind as it lives in your studio.
Gia’s Peruvian roots show up in her subject matter throughout her entire body of work, from images of linework piñatas to exotic birds showing off plumage of deep reds and blues. Many of her pieces are titled in Spanish, such as her “troncos:” slices of wood painted into round birds. Peruvian music is a big inspiration for her, too; Gia says she almost never works without it. Working closely alongside the music—and in one case even recording herself reciting her poetry over classical piano—the subtle tranquility of classical music influences Gia as she works. “All my art has poetry in it, and all my poetry has art,” she says, nodding to her love of music and language.
Her love for children is abundant, too. Postcards depicting round, expressive moons, journals covered in lively characters, and affectionate portrait photographs of her children and students are scattered throughout the studio. My favorite moons were a pair she named “Shorty” and “Fatty.”
“I’m eclectic and playful,” she laughs as I sift through her cards, postcards, and journals with delight. Each one is new and surprising.
Her advice to fellow artists? Go to museums. “An artist needs to be in museums,” she says. “This is where you collect data, reflect on what moves you, and learn. Focus on learning, relaxing and appreciating what’s around you, and your art will begin to spill out of you.”
Gia’s work can be found in various shops in Evergreen, including Sweetwater Boutique, Center for the Arts Evergreen, TallGrass Spa, Polita’s Place, and Mountainside Bakery, among other rotating locations. Keep an eye out for it!
She will also be showing her art at the Art Students League of Denver for “The Art of Illusion” Exhibit. The exhibit will run from September 11 – October 18, 2026.
And one more thing! Check out her poetry, published in the September issue of Evergreen Living Magazine!
Find her online at timepiecestudio.com
