artist statement

I use artmaking as a method of marking time through process, in an effort to make something beautiful that transcends my daily life.

My recent work is an escape from the complexities of the modern world and a return to traditional materials and meditative mark making. I have developed a unique process to create works that reference art history and utilize time-honored techniques. The pieces function together as a body stylistically, but each stands alone in its own small universe, or landscape.

The work begins with the chalk gesso: each component carefully measured, mixed, and applied painstakingly to the panel, in layers, until the surface is built. Artists have been using this technique for hundreds of years—I always consider this as I claim it for my own. Then I lay down a cacophony of charcoal lines and forms and then take them off. I repeat the process, with the intention of capturing remnants of movements and marks in a way that manifests the passage of time. When I’m ready, I put down final marks and fix them to the surface. In some works, I apply fields of color using clay and pigment to anchor the piece, while those that are monochromatic float freely in their own space. Finally, I apply multiple coats of carnauba wax and buff to a gloss finish.
– nancy hubbard

nancyhubbard.net
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