Nina B. Marshall

Buds
encaustic
2 x 3 in.

I have been working on a series of encaustic paintings entitled “The Pavimenti Series: Reclaimed Objects,” in which I pay homage to old rusty parts and pieces of manufactured objects that have no memory of their purpose, and natural objects that are taken for granted because of their abundance, but which I have collected and reclaimed for re-use as models for paintings. For the grounds to support these objects, I paint tile-floors modeled on those I have seen in Italy, because they are beautiful surfaces and because the tiles have gone through so many cycles of reuse.

My process is to collect objects (such as bottles, gears and other parts of machines, old tools, bugs flowers, toys) that appeal to my imagination and emotional identification, and then to engage with them intuitively in the creative process of painting so that I can explore their combination, color and arrangement in a striking representation. By re-using objects as models for paintings, I move to assert their aesthetic value, and thereby to remind viewers of the integrity of objects and of the importance of our relationships with the things of our world. Many people collect things, to study, admire, and in various ways enrich our lives. Many viewers of my reclaimed objects have used, and/or collected such objects, and seeing them collected in paintings reminds viewers of their own histories and pleasures, further adding to their sense of the shared value of their lives.

© Nina B. Marshall