Sunday, June 13, 2010

Artist Interview: Nikki Mull

What is your name:

Nikki Mull

Do you have a formal art education or are you a self taught artist:

I received my BFA and MFA in painting from Idaho State University and a film production certificate from the Seattle Film Institute.

What is the style of your pieces:

I change my style frequently to accommodate the idea of each series I work on.


What is the medium in which you work:

My thesis project for my MFA consisted of large altarpieces made out of found jigsaw puzzles. These days, however, I work mostly in oil paint.


What started you on your path as an artist:

In high school, I had an art teacher pull me aside at the end of one semester and tell me that I could make my living doing this if I wanted to. I'm still working toward that.


What is one of the most important things that art has brought to your life:

It gives me a purpose. It's as simple as that.


What is your favorite genre of art besides the one you work in:

Documentary Filmmaking.

Do you have art showings, and if so what are they typically like:

During the past year, I've shown my work quite a bit in various venues ranging from nightclubs to galleries in Seattle, Portland, and Idaho.


Do you have a certain set of clothes you make art in:

Nope just the same clothes I wear daily, but covered with a nasty apron that has a name tag.


What has been the most frustrating part of being an artist?

Getting galleries to look at my work.


What is your favorite sandwich of all time:

Jimmy Johns #6.

Has this year brought about any changes in your work, and if so what are they:

To accommodate different galleries, I added a series that was a little less conceptual and more conservative than my normal work. It's entitled "Sunlit" and has given me a wider audience and more success in approaching galleries because I have a larger range of work to offer.

Who is your favorite artist alive or dead:

Gustave Klimt, Jan Vermeer, Joseph Cornell, Lee Bontecou...


What is the most moving piece of artwork that you have seen in person:

I had an emotional experience in front of a piece by John Singer Sargent called "The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit." I stood for the longest time staring at this rather large drag of white paint that makes up the highlight on one of the giant vases. I was thinking that I knew more about painting right then than any other time in my life.


Do you have any animals, and what do they think of your work:

I have a black cat named Banana. She's particularly interested in the strings hanging from the cut edges of canvas.


Do you have any upcoming exhibitions you would like to share with us:

I'll be showing at the Happening Gallery in Los Angeles next month (July 2010). I am also scheduled to have a solo show at the Form/Space Gallery in Seattle next year (July 2011).


contact@nikkimull.com

If you are and artist and would like to be featured email sivy221@aol.com

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