NIKKI NASH

Born in Hollywood, and raised in the San Fernando Valley, I painted a few things when I was a kid, then took a decades-long break. I began painting again in 2001.

I love the Pop Art of the 60s and its exposure of the manipulation inherent in advertising. Although I don’t feel overtly political, I similarly attempt to shine a light on our attachments, such as in the connection between terrorism and commerce represented in “Suicide Bomb Barbie.”

More recently, I am transitioning to more subtle expressions of beauty, without fully abandoning the questions about art and commerce. With “Choinoiserie Bulbs,” there is a surface loveliness I was going for, but under that is the question - is wallpaper considered art? Or does it matter one way or the other if the result brings delight and joy - even if only to myself. It amuses me to make something seemingly banal but with a painterly hand. 

I love James Rosenquist, Wayne Thiebaud, Kenton Nelson, Brian O’Connor, and Cezanne. I remember as a kid having books on Norman Rockwell, Magritte, Vermeer and Titian, and spending hours mesmerized by what they could do.

When I wasn’t trying on makeup.