Tools of the Trade

Nadine Meyers Saitlin

Nadine with Mechanical Landscape, 72 x 48 x 2 in, acrylic paint on 2 canvases

The most frequent question I get about my artwork is “Where do you get your ideas?” My easy answer is, “my inspiration comes from everywhere: experiences, objects and places seen, and emotions experienced.” But what is a more complete answer is that my inspiration is seen through two lenses: influenced by formal education and admiration of the 20th century art movements. The lessons taught by the abstract expressionist and non-objective painters have liberated me to explore, uninhibited by artistic conventions and freed from trying to imitate real world images. My artistic goal is to create seductive surfaces and provocative forms that involve the audience in discovering new associations in a visual adventure.

Exploring, inventing, and experimenting with different materials and techniques has allowed me to expand the boundaries of my art.

Improvisation Jive, 22 in. x 30 in., acrylic paint on paper

2-Dimensional Technique: I start by drawing with an idea for a composition. I think of my visual composition like a musical theme or a story line in a poem or essay. Composition is the thread that holds the artwork together and determines everything else that happens, i.e. how the visual elements work together. I have drawn in sketch books for years exploring concepts of automatic drawing, surrealism, and abstraction where I interpret the elusive qualities of time and energy.

When computer drawing programs came along, I changed from paper to a computer screen. To make the transition I took pictures of the images in my sketch books and uploaded them into a drawing program. In this way I was able to build upon earlier sketchbook ideas and add new images using the technology. Currently, I am using Adobe Elements on the computer, and Procreate on my iPad. The advantage of using computer programs enables me to experiment with new color combinations, change spatial relationships, and photograph a work in process to refine a final painting. When I finish an image, I transfer it, free hand, using a projector or grid, on to paper or canvas substrate. I paint with opaque acrylic and gouache paint with fine brushes and draw with markers.

Firecrackers, 36 in. x 36 in. x 2 in., acrylic paint on canvas

In my paintings I capture energy and movement expressing a bright outlook. I think of my work as antidote, a positive escape from the real-world issues of the environment, pandemic, and tumultuous negative politics. My most recent series was inspired by jazz music, dance, and life in happy places. In my hard-edge painting, primary and contrasting colors and dynamic lines soar and flow through the space, creating a vibrant upbeat celebration of life.

3-Dimensional Technique: I discovered the gourd while I was doing a series of assemblages. Nature provided us with an exquisite form: the gourd is a natural growing plant, a member of the pumpkin family. It has been used for centuries to make utilitarian and decorative items by many cultures throughout time. For me the third dimensional form allows me to redefine the natural plant form into a continuous abstract painting.

Process: The gourd is opened, and its seeds removed, cleaned, and coated inside with matte varnish. The surface is primed with spray acrylic paint and the images rendered with acrylic paint and pen, then sealed with a protective matte varnish. Although coated inside with varnish, the vessel may not be used for liquid. Sturdy and light weight, the vessels are displayed on a metal stand.

For me artistically, the third dimensional form allows me to redefine the natural plant form into a continuous abstract painting, testing the definitions of art and craft. On the surface the painted shapes grow, rotate, collide, and explode around the form. When the piece is rotated there are variations of images so the owner can choose the composition to be displayed, becoming part of my creative process.