Second Draft of Artist Statement

 ARTIST STATEMENT: 

    My work functions as a bridge between the internal landscape of the mind and the tangible world, exploring the thin veil where the mundane meets mystical. As an illustrator and narrative world-builder, I am deeply driven by the concept of the “unseen”. I strive to create characters and environments that possess a divine, ethereal quality, often using natural elements to reflect a character’s spirit or psychological state. 

Technically, my practice is a dialogue between digital and traditional ink mediums with dependence on gouache & watercolor pencils including my reliance on applications like ibis paint x, krita, inkscape. Whether I am working in a 9 x 12 sketchbook or refining details on a digital tablet, I prioritize rhythmic movement and emotional color theory. I utilize thick, directional brushstrokes and staccato techniques to capture the flickering quality of light and the weight of an atmosphere. Mood is key to me. This tactile approach allows me to ground my whimsical, otherworldly thoughts in a sense of physical reality. Captivated by sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, I view art as the primary way to process the human experience. My current projects often examine the tension between domestic safety and the untamed natural world. 

I am currently experimenting bringing my illustrations to life with collage techniques with the shapes of various bead collections and threads. Displaying my past experiences with girlhood and current womanhood and working on my graphic novel on the side. Ultimately, my goal is to invite the audience into these reimagined spaces, offering a glimpse into a world that feels both hauntingly alien and deeply relatable, one that first brought me into the world of art growing up.  

BIO: 

Nashley Nunez was born in Riverside, New Jersey and raised in union city then later guttenberg after a couple of moves. She was raised by her Dominican mother in a somewhat small poor suburban apartment until later when her father moved over to the U.S. to reunite with his family. She became an older sister at the age of six and later developed a love for art and writing when attending a small public school. A love built fondly as a way to a cathartic escape and stress relief when emotions were difficult to express when young. Her passion started with the most basic of tools, her set of gel pens and first box of prismacolor pencils in middle school. She thrives on exploration of profound themes through storytelling and illustrative narratives as well as the expression of visceral raw expression of emotions, ideals, and small hilarious everyday moments. She enjoys playing with wild out of world concepts or the fusion of nature with humanity in general in her artwork.