Mixed Media and collage are the creative vehicles I use to express and organize my ideas, emotions and surroundings. Intricate patterns, camouflage and detail all serve a purpose in my work – to draw the viewer in, as through a keyhole, to another world. This examining and layering, the meditative and physical process of creating my work, is as important as the final pieces themselves.

My multi-layered works often reveal scenes within architecturally defined spaces; interior and exterior walls, pillars, windows, doors or tiles, which create a structure or matrix for softer more amorphous forms or objects; flowers, vines, circles and spheres.

This juxtaposition is accomplished through the utilization of various media that include handmade papers, wallpaper, printed matter, photo transfers, acrylic paint, watercolor, graphite, and fragments of my original drawings and paintings. The collage elements are adhered and covered with acrylic gels, and the finished pieces are coated with acrylic varnish which seals, protects, and serves to unify the elements. The works are on canvas or mounted on wood panels.

Using the printer to enlarge or reduce the size of my images allows me to create a sense of perspective, and to enhance the illusion of a real space. The illusion is further reinforced by printing some color images in black and white and sometimes adding hand drawn or painted details.

The driving force in my creative process is my curiosity, my need to examine the inner workings and essence of things, to examine their intricacies and to understand their relationships in the larger setting.

© 2022 Nance Nadel. All rights Reserved.