The sea or some body of water has always been in the background of my life. As an artist, the water and the forms that move through it are a source of constant inspiration. The very nature of the liquid medium dictates a "form follows function" axiom which I find to be lyrical. My sculpture concerns itself with this curvaceous quality, moving and arching its way through dry space. It is my task to bring these forms into an existence in which they are not normally found. They are literally a "fish out of water".
On a metaphorical level, I have made symbols with certain forms paired with circumstances of life: both move through time. The balance of aggression/passivity has been a compelling issue for me never quite resolved. Borrowing teeth-like projections from the more dangerous forms in nature suggests an air of aggression, danger, or a threatening presence. On a formal level, the jagged points contrast strongly with the curve. Then conversely, soft inverted forms imply a quiet vulnerability or are safely protected with a coat of armor.
A professor of mine once told me that if an artist tries to compete with nature, he will always be unsuccessful. Instead, I endeavor to arrange reclaimed elements from the natural world.
I infuse in my work an interplay of attraction and repulsion simultaneously blurring the line that demarcates one from the other. Hopefully the viewer is intrigued without necessarily knowing why. Lately, the environment has figured as focus with the same sentiments.
Nic's Microplastic exhibition moves to the Elkton Gallery of Cecil Community College Sept. 7 - Nov. 18 with an opening Oct. 1. A piece entitled "And Yet, They Came" is included in Recycle 2021 at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition Sept. 12 - Oct. 17.
NIC'S WORK CAN BE SEEN AT:
Strawberry Lane Studio
210 Strawberry Lane Havre de Grace MD 21078
Artists' Emporium
220 N. Washington Street, Havre de Grace
