Raining, 2023
Acrylic on canvas
£1,200
About the Artist
Nicole Basilone (b.1988, USA) completed undergraduate studies at Pratt Munson Williams Proctor (2009) and graduated from Maryland Institute college of Art and Design with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting. Past residencies include: Chateau Orquevaux (2018) and The Vermont Studio Center (2012). Her work has been exhibited in major US cities Detroit (MI), Chicago (IL), Oakland (CA), Philadelphia(PA), NY (NY) and Baltimore (MD). In 2018 she landed her first solo exhibition at Mimi and Hill design studios in Westfield, NJ. She has co-curated and participated in two Spring/Break Art Shows in NY, NY. This Spring she is in a group show called Freaky Flowers at September gallery. Her studio is at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City,NJ and she lives in NYC,NY.
The work I create is a synthesis of imagined and real landscapes. My work evolves from observation. Often my finished paintings are like collages, gathered from sketches I have done in “plein air” and mix them with fragments from my memory and imagination. My vision catalogs the emotional response triggered by earths’ abundant resources and ecosystems. The variety of marks in my paintings are about the speed of nature, the mood of the land and the shapes of the plants. Nature is so resilient, constantly evolving and changing to survive. My work engages in dialog with the art historical cannon of abstraction and impressionism.
About the Artwork
These paintings explore lighting at different times of the day. A significant aspect of my practice has always been “plein air” painting, a traditional approach to capturing the outdoor light of a specific time of day. It’s akin to journaling, but through painting, which is one of the reasons I continually incorporate this technique into my work. Color is pivotal to me, and even a 30-minute shift during the day can transition the sunlight from warm to cool tones. Back in my studio, I’ve been creating paintings contrasting evening and daytime lighting to further delve into this practice.
Drawing inspiration from the canon of historical art, my work echoes Impressionism and Abstract Impressionism, evident in the drips and gestural brushwork. My emphasis is on color and lighting because it offers a framework that complements the paintings’ abstract and raw essence. I approach my art much like a scientist studying plants, forms, and light, documenting my observations through my pieces. These paintings serve as a journal entry of the wonders I witness outdoors and the transformations that ensue when I integrate these observations into my studio space.