Congratulations to artist Nicole Hitchcock, our latest Instagram winner! Born and raised in Marin County, CA and currently residing in Eagle Idaho, Nicole is a contemporary abstract mixed media artist: "I enjoy creating my own collage papers and building works with a lot patterns while using a limited color palette. Resin adds a very unique finish and I find it extremely exciting."
Does where you're from or where you currently live influence your work?
My work is influenced by what I am exposed to. I spend a lot of time in nature when I’m home in Idaho. I am also drawn to studying cultures and enjoy travel. My art then becomes a projection of that experience, but also sometimes interactions or conversations lead to an art piece while I am processing what I experienced within that interaction.
What's your art background? Are you self taught or did you study art?
I have been a full-time artist for three years and have taken classes but am not formally trained. I was in a very creative industry for 27 year prior to this.
Are you a full time artist or do you create around work hours?
I am all in.
What do you love about the mediums that you use?
I love that creating this kind of art causes me to have a visceral experience that feels like an enormous endorphin rush. Its the best.
When did you discover resin?
I am going to guess that it was 20 years ago. I was walking through an art gallery in Sausalito, CA and saw these shiny abstract works that were monochromatic with a little shadow work and I was very drawn to them. I was not in the position to purchase them but I literally thought them for the last 20 years.
How has resin impacted your artwork?
Being a resin artist makes you stand out in a lot of ways. My work literally glows. Working with resin also adds a level of bad-ass-ery within the artist community. Resin requires training, patience, a specific work space and and adventurous spirit!
Can you provide a brief rundown of your process?
For my resin work, I create my painting on wood cradleboard. I use painters tape to create a dam for my first pour. I sand the resin back to create a beveled edge and pour a second coat using a waterfall technique over the edge. I feel that this technique looks refined and professional.
Why do you want to make art? What motivates you to create?
Not creating something isn’t optional for my brain type. I’m a creator. It’s in my DNA. Art allows me to process my life and document experiences in a way that I hope will be around longer than I am here. There is something really profoundly cool about that.
Does art help you in other areas of your life?
Art helps me wrap my mind around the unexplainable. Art gives me permission to express myself through a language that is universally understood. Art is the best
therapist and the greatest meditation practice all wrapped up into one.
What do you hope someone sees or feels when they look at your art?
My intention is that the viewer becomes momentarily lost in the colors and textures and is reminded of their own connection to the world.
How do you define success as an artist? What does success look and feel like for you?
I recently had this exact conversation with my dad. I told him that the only way I know how to define success is through sales. I was in an analytical mindset when I said that. He shared a huge nugget of wisdom that changed my perspective on success. He said, “Success in art is when you allow what you create to be seen.”
I really heard that. I shifted my viewpoint on success after that conversation. Success is not about sales to me anymore. Success in art is about being brave enough to allow what I create to be seen.
Where do you sell your work?
I have a website for direct sales. I also show my work in galleries and exhibit frequently in a variety of settings, and Scandinavian Designs just started carrying my resin art in their store.
Follow her on Instagram: @nicolejamesd
Congratulations on your win, Nicole!
Every month, to celebrate our community of artists, ArtResin will send out a 32 oz kit to two lucky people who have tagged us on Instagram, showing the work they've created with ArtResin.
ArtResin: Made For Artists, By Artists
