Artist spotlight :Nadine Howieson
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Occult and the arts exist in a dance of harmony that many people vilify even today. In my artistic exploration and practice I delve into the entangling relationship of the occult and the arts. My work focuses on capturing fluid motion in organic form, translating thoughts, personified into shapes and organisms. I draw inspiration from dreams, and mysteries of the sea interacting with the rest of the world.
Exploring the question of whether entire worlds can be encapsulated within a single cell, I contemplate often if an image can cast a spell and try to create this ambiance in each piece. Fundamentally Art is my ritual that I wish to share with the public, a process that varies with each piece in open exploration. Within each piece I am on a journey of removing the poison: images, thoughts, dreams, that hinder my peace of mind. The creation is the remedy, if I don’t create it will feaster and drive me insane. I know I don’t seek to express the mundane, I search to find the line between the distinguishable and intangible hoping one viewer can see what others can not or wont.
Like with spells one must complete the spell and cease to think of it, out of sight out of mind.
Social Networks :
-Instagram:@staryfluke
-Website: getmostra.com/artist/nadineihowieson
Nadine Howieson
1. Inspiration & Style
What initially inspired you to become an artist, and how did you develop your unique artistic style?
Answer:
It’s hard to pinpoint what initially inspired me because I wanted to be an Artist since childhood but I juggled with burnout and obligations that took me away from this for a decade, during lockdown I became pregnant, starting to draw and paint again. To think about what inspires me today would be more of a need to purge the images in my mind to paper, relieving my overthinking.
I’ve always used makeup in my art since I was a child. Family members often wouldn’t gift me art supplies, only makeup. Since I only had that, I played with it on paper. I now use it with nail polish, acrylic paints and ink.
2. Creative Process
Do you have any rituals or routines that help you get into a creative mindset when starting a new project?
Answer:
Being a witch, I bless the materials I use beforehand using candle magick. As for during, I'm not sure if this overlaps with other Artists, but I’m always in need of background noise, either news, music, a documentary or even a podcast. I need something to ignore while I sit and decide what in my head I want to display on paper. Most days with a toddler do not allow for a daytime slot for working, so I’m often working late at night right before bed. It’s become my therapy over the years.
3. Artistic Influences
How do you balance historical or artistic influences with your personal style, and how do these influences manifest in your work today?
Answer:
I loved Kandinsky as a child so he has influenced my work. I try to use Bauhaus principles to structure a piece then I build up the main image. I’m drawn to darker colors often working with at most four that I mixed using eyeshadow pigment, acrylic medium and ink. I don’t make large batches due to limited supply which limits my color usage. I’ve come to see this as a form of self control.
I recently started Kandinsky’s book and hope to apply anything I find beneficial to my work.
4. Emotion & Expression
How do you use your art to evoke emotions, and what role does emotion play in your creative process?
Answer:
When I first started in 2020 I was pregnant and fearful for my baby. I found myself drawing circles that soon resemble pebbles over time. It relieved my anxiety to a degree. In a way, I felt I had transferred it onto the piece, for me circles resemble, in the simplest form, thoughts. This was the clearest depiction of my experience at that time. Starting with a few lines, from somatic art gestures, something to help clear my nerves but honestly it never lasts long, from there I try to adjust how much it strays. Morphing the shape into something organic.
Overall I think that my art depicts this to some degree, I always unintentionally transfer it to page.
5. Standout Projects
Can you share a project that stands out to you and describe the creative process behind it?
Answer:
T is for… wasn’t a piece that I initially liked, I hated it the first few days it started out mostly a collection of small drawings. Yet the more I worked on it the more I felt unsatisfied and unhappy with it. So I took a lot of black paint to the piece, blocking out what I felt didn’t belong.
Even then for two more days I debated burning it. Now it’s one of my favorite pieces along with Elysium.
6. Feedback & Growth
How do you incorporate feedback from critics or audiences into your work, and how do you balance this with your own artistic intuition?
Answer:
I usually go back into the studio to experiment, applying what was suggested into new work. From there I toss out what doesn’t feel or look right, and keep what does. I’ve painted over many pieces and started over so many times.
7. Motivation & Inspiration
How do you stay motivated and inspired, even when facing creative blocks or challenges?
Answer:
One way I try to stave off a creative block is watching documentaries about the deep sea and Mariana’s Trench. Thousands of alien, ill formed creatures exist and are often a good source for what is possible.
The other way is drawing things I see in my dreams as soon as I wake up. It’s a dream sketchbook.
8. Exhibiting Work
How do you feel about exhibiting your artwork with The Holy Art Gallery, and what does this opportunity mean to you?
Answer:
I’m honored to be exhibiting with The Holy Art Gallery. As a person who is getting back into the field I’m delighted to be a part of it. To have this opportunity happen in Paris is a dream, it motivates me to work and continue reaching different and accepting audiences.
9. Future Goals
What are your long-term goals and aspirations as an artist, and how do you plan to achieve them?
Answer:
I wish to share my Art with the right audience, which I’m sure Paris is the best place. For the long term, I want to regularly have solo shows. I've done some group shows but I want to make a bigger impact. To be able to start working on canvases once I can afford to. I would need to win a spot in a residency for that to begin. Hopefully I’ll have some good news soon.
10. Audience Connection
What do you hope viewers take away from experiencing your art, and how do you aim to connect with them on an emotional or intellectual level?
Answer:
I often use titles as a way to connect with the audience. I want them to look further into the meaning of the title and compare and contrast, and search the piece for clues.I hope to engage viewers to a degree that ARG’s have. For the audience it will give them an opportunity to divulge their own take always from the piece, solidifying the relationship they have with it.
