JP Nicolaides

In May of 2020, I was introduced, by a very dear friend who is an artist in Ireland, to printmaking. It has been something of a salvation to me during the darkest days of the pandemic. I witnessed this outlet for creative energy giving me joy and peace—no mean feat as the Covid losses, very near and far, continued to viciously mount. I make mono prints, which means that each piece is an original and singular work of art. I hand cut my own designs and like to watch the process of layer after layer develop. Contrasting color, value and shape is important and exciting to me. For texture and mark making, I gather a fun, or odd, depending on your point of view, collection of household and found items—onion bags, packing materials, plastic wrap—giving multiple lives to environmentally unfriendly substances. The results are abstract paintings that reflect what’s on my mind and what’s happening around us. I only name the pieces that are obviously crying out for a title. We’ve all met people like that. The others are numbered because I like numbers and because “untitled” feels, well, vague and overused. 30 years in a corporate career helped me and my family enjoy many wonderful things. We know how lucky we are. This exploration of creativity and expression of imagination makes me feel even luckier. Inspiration is everywhere. Miro, Klee, Klimt and Kahlo thrill me.