NICOLE MAYHEW
Raised in New York with a unique upbringing in a family of artists and entrepreneurs, Nicole Mayhew was encouraged to be expressive from childhood. With endless curiosity, she has training in drawing, painting, metalwork and all sculptural mediums, printmaking, ceramics, silversmithing, photography and writing. She received a sculpture degree from the Rhode Island School of Design where her technique was described as “sculpting like a painter and painting like a sculptor."
Gallery shows featuring her work include but are not limited to: Jack the Pelican Presents and Supreme Trading Gallery in Brooklyn, Ceres Gallery and The Gershwin Hotel in Manhattan, La Muse Gallery in Languedoc-Roussillon, France, and Loom Gallery in Providence, RI. Nicole has spent time assisting many artists including and primarily James Turrell’s head lighting expert, Matthew Schreiber where she explored “sculptural photography” techniques, holography, and large scale laser light installations. She then spent the past ten years running a small business/ gallery dedicated to supporting design, global craft and culture, while also building her own brand.
Nicole currently resides in both Brooklyn and Hudson, NY where she has a private studio practice.
Artist Statement
My paintings are a reflection of a duality in my nature: They are in some ways synesthetic currents I drift down, in other ways ordered and sharp-edged.
I like to show process and angles of thought, like the bones of a painting. Underdrawing and decisive polish together with equal importance. So much of what I portray relates to inner versus outer, cover and uncover. The fine line where protection becomes blinding and vulnerability becomes over-exposed. Often, they are studies in the multitudes of perception.
Sometimes large looming figures impose themselves in space. Despite their size and bareness, the action is an attempt to hide from the viewer’s eye. The viewer then becomes both voyeur and reflection, gazing into the window and the mirror at once.
The pieces are confrontational but allude to the absorbing strength of our feelings. By showing their bones, they are honest and vulnerable. That is an encouragement to relate deeply without self-judgement.