Mrs. Paxton has been painting for over fifteen years and has carried a gun for longer than that as a Federal Law Enforcement Officer.  Although her artistic range is vast in both media and subject matter, New Orleans at night, women with guns, and the black humor of clowns and gowns has provided a canvas close to her heart in myriad ways.  It is for this reason, that she has chosen her "Ladies of the Evening" paintings to launch her PaperTigerProductions Art by PAXTON website.

'Paxton' is the alter ego of Nevada Barr, New York Times best selling author of the Anna Pigeon mystery series, which dove-tails nicely with her New Orleans, gun packing ladies of the evening paintings.  Please visit Nevada's book website: www.nevadabarr.com

Nevada was born in the small western town of Yeringon, Nevada and raised on a mountain airport in the Sierras.  Pushed out of the nest, Nevada fell into the theatre, receiving her BA in speech and drama and her MFA in acting.  For eighteen years she worked on stage, in commercials, training films, and radio.  During this time she became interested in environmental issues and began working in the National Parks during the summers.

Her first novel, Bittersweet, was published in 1983.  The Anna Pigeon series, featuring a female park ranger as the protagonist, started when she married her love of writing with her love of the wilderness.  In the years since, thirteen Anna Pigeon novels have been published, seven of them New York times best sellers.  Number fourteen is due to be published in 2008.

In 1996 Nevada began painting as an antidote to words.  She has had two one-woman shows and several shared with other artists.  She is a member of the Dutch Alley Artist Co-op and her work is also shown at The Great Artists Collective on Royal street, both in New Orleans.

Mrs. Paxton is now a full-time artist living in New Orleans with her husband, 3 dogs and 4 cats.  She no longer carries a gun but is considering taking it up again.