Nona Lightman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988 and a Master in Art Therapy in 1990 from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Nona discovered her passion for Oriental brush painting while on a trip to Japan. Since 1990 she has studied Chinese brush painting in the traditional style with several artists. In 1997 Nona had several workshops with professor Ning Yeh, a master Chinese artist from California. At the end of the workshops professor Ning Yeh told Nona to go back to Dayton and start teaching.

In July of 1997 while visiting Beijing, she was fortunate to have private lessons with Professor Zhang Tian Ping from Xi'an Academy of Arts. With 16 years of learning, teaching and painting, Nona has developed a unique style that is a blend of Eastern with a touch of Western influence. Her paintings emanate balance and harmony. In 1996 her paintings were accepted to the juried Art Expo fine art show in Dayton. During the Eternal China Exhibit, Dayton Art Institute March - May 1998 Nona presented workshops in Chinese brush painting to the Institute's area teachers and high school students.

Nona taught Chinese Painting at Rosewood Art Center, the Dayton Art Institute and she presented several workshops to high school teachers in Dayton.
In December of 2002 she moved to Boynton Beach, Florida and began teaching and exhibiting her art. She teaches in various art centers, recreation centers, Women in the Visual Arts Gallery and Lighthouse School of Art.
Nona exhibited her paintings in The Lighthouse Gallery, the Lyric Theatre, the Palm Beach Gardens Municipal Building and the Courtyard building. Her works are in collections in the Visual Arts Gallery and Lighthouse School of Art.   She is a member of the Women in the Visual Arts.
In addition to painting, Nona creates jewelry, loves to spend time with her husband, her children and five grandchildren.