Spring Vine 1, gouache on yupo on panel, 10.5 x 10.5 inches, framed
Morning Light on Spring Vines, Oil on panel, 16 x 16 inches
Quarry Rain Meditation, mixed media on paper mounted on panel, 12 x 9 inches
Oxnarfoss Rose, Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches
Oxnarfoss Blue, Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches
Nina Jerome Artist Statement for the Thicket Series,
‘I observed the structure and chaotic circular movement of invasive Wild Grape vines during an artists’ residency in Virginia in 2017. The initial gestural charcoal drawings lead to a series of naturalistic landscape drawings and paintings, as well as an abundance of abstract variations. The image of the vine captures the interconnected chaos of nature which seems to balance on the edge between beauty and destruction – calligraphic movement becoming an entangled profusion.’
Nina Jerome
Artist Statement
I find inspiration for my work in both natural and constructed environments, drawing and painting in series that examine visual variations of specific place. The painting process conveys my personal direction through the changing land as I witness its light, movement, and shifts in color and shape. I return to many favorite themes as fresh images energize my process. Photographs, drawings, and watercolor sketches, grant me the courage to begin a painting, and each painting becomes a steppingstone to the next in the series.
Momentary – Quarry Rain
The surface of the water came alive as rain fell on the Addison quarry that I have been observing and painting for the last several years. Raindrops created a momentary transformation from stillness to pulsing ripples moving outward, and shattering reflections. Although the squall lasted only minutes, the image has remained with me.
Waterworks – Waterfalls
In 2018 I spent a month at an artist residency in Iceland. After traveling through different areas of the country, I was struck by the dark, brooding landscape, littered with moss-covered lava through which rivers flowed and water tumbled. It appeared that forces of gravity created movement and tension throughout the land. While in Iceland, I completed a series of gouache and acrylic paintings, and recently returned to the subject to explore the ideas on a larger scale with oil paint.