The dense smell of oil paints fills the nostrils of those who walk into the Art 120, “Fundamentals of Drawing” class.

At the semester’s end, art instructor Nina Warner will retire after 25 years of service at City College.

“I’ve known Nina [since] before I came to City College, and she still is the [same] compassionate human being to this day,” said retiring Atkinson Gallery Director Dane Goodman.

As a little girl, Warner drew animals with her name spelt out in big letters across the top of the drawings. Her parents and her high school art teacher encouraged her to continue drawing.

“As far back as memory goes,” Warner said, “I’ve always loved to draw and felt that this is what I can do best because I love it.”

Warner enrolled at City College in 1974. As a young mother, she was limited to taking night classes to coordinate with her kids’ schedules.

“The idea that anyone can come to school here,” she said, “regardless of where you are in life, and be excited to learn something, is what the community colleges excel at.”

Through summer and night classes, Warner was able to transfer to the College of Creative Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in 1987.

She was able to return to City College as a part-time teacher straight out of UCSB.

“I had this great connection with [my past instructors] and I knew what the core of the program was,” Warner said.

Her first teaching opportunity came in a summer session, when her mentor, Priscilla Bendershore, received a grant to study in France.

Bendershore encouraged Warner to look after her class while she was away.

“That moment was really amazing for me because this is someone who is important to me and trusted me enough to teach her class,” Warner said.

Board of Directors President Peter Haslund, who was a study abroad committee member at the time, discovered Warner’s family background.

The Los Angeles native’s parents immigrated to America from Russia in 1949 as refugees after World War II, looking for a new life for their family.

“He asked me to direct a trip to the Soviet Union as an art instructor for one semester,” Warner said.

Forty-two students attended the trip a couple of months before the collapse of the Soviet system in Russia. Moscow and St. Petersburg were among the top destinations the group visited.

Warner looks forward to the next phase in her life.

“Spending time in my home studio, time with my granddaughters, son and daughter are on my plan,” Warner concludes.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published May 9, 2012.