Nancy Calef

Making art has always led me to explore the mysterious, limitless realms of our internal makeup, helping to understand and break down my barriers so I can better relate to others. The creative process teases, controls and absorbs me. It has saved my life and I treat it respectfully, honoring its ebb and flow. Everyday I take the brush to canvas and, although I am confronted with fear and insecurity, I also tap into a source of inspired imagery. In those moments, time falls away and it seems that the work creates itself. 

For many years I’ve been creating “Peoplescapes,” oil, sculptured characters and applied objects on canvas, addressing cultural, political and spiritual issues facing society. By juxtaposing people in recognizable places and situations, each painting weaves together a story about contemporary life, filled with layers of detail, symbolism and humor.

“Plane slashing” is the latest progression of my 3D technique; lately I’m tearing, cutting and manipulating the plane of an existing painting, while integrating it with one or more finished canvases that I’ve attached. I paint into the entire deconstructed imagery, leaving various portions of the underlying picture(s) in tact. I love taking paintings from destruction and chaos and transforming them into a cohesive multi-dimensional piece.

Contact:
nancy@nancycalefgallery.com

No Free Lunch

Image 24 of 45

No Free Lunch. Oil, sculpture, mixed media, fabric, paper, found objects on canvas, 48"x48", 2009. I see airports and airplanes as good barometers of our changing society, and how the population adapts to sometimes ridiculous conditions. The ironic consideration, “how bare will our stripped-down travel become?” is depicted here. Necessities, such as oxygen, water and, for some, toilet paper are for sale. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, Bernie Madoff sits next to a woman reading his book, Madoff Gate. The compromised overhead bin has turned into billboard advertisements offering acerbic liquidation and employment opportunities. Greed seems to have replaced the service orientation of the travel industry.

 

 


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Links:
Nancy Calef Gallery
Salon Foxy on Goodie