Video:
Nicole Buffett speaks from her studio in Berkeley, California.
She talks to the Chinese people about creating her new artwork,
which honors Zhou En-Lai.
Artist Statement
My paintings describe an environment built upon the concept of pliancy and versatility. The abstract landscapes I create are spaces wherein freedom from the representational enables deeper spiritual possibilities. My choice to use a variety of both traditional Art materials alongside non-traditional materials, reflect my own relationship to the world as a place of integration. Thick, fleshy layers of reclaimed house paint, Earth pigment, spices, sand, ink, spray paint and resin all become a hyper organic environment that speaks to where I am environmentally.
I choose to use this wide range of mediums because it reflects the importance of layering of both organic and non-organic materials one upon the other. The painting changes as materials rise or sink, crack or coalesce, rupture or congeal according to their nature. This conscious act of releasing absolute control within the realm of making has become a very important mark in itself. This relating begins to demonstrate the power and capacity of adaptation and relationship. Creatingscenarios for elements to find their own relationship with each other, I impose intimacy on these materials, forcing them together, and they move into whatever balance or harmony is available.
The presence of fine line drawing alongside the textural depth the pigment and paint fulfills is an expression of intention. There is a discerning capacity to relate and compose within the framework of freedom. As the world begins to re-align itself to environmental preservation and human preservation, I feel my work speaks of a new territory of alchemy and harmony that asks the viewers to consider new spaces of synthesis and possibility.
