Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Durham.
Hi Nicole, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Beidigheim, Germany, and moved to the United States where I became a US citizen. Daughter to a German mother and African American father, my international travels as a proud ‘military brat’ helped mold my creative soul and influence my love for the arts through the eyes and upbringing of a multi-ethnic perspective.
I gave myself the handle: The Caulk Artist because I enjoy the industrial feel and raw creation that comes from utilizing a nontraditional resource such as caulk. For me, caulk is malleable, formable, forgiving, delicate, and yet very similar to sculpting in that it becomes stern, difficult, and unwilling. Caulk has allowed me to combine my love for constructing and shaping and my organic instincts to create.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m not sure any artist can say it’s a “smooth” road. Art requires one to put their feelings, passion, their emotions on display. I don’t care who you are, that’s never easy, especially if you are honest with yourself about your creatives.
Some of the struggles along the way include imposter syndrome. I genuinely had feelings where I questioned my work, my direction, and what I was trying to do. As an artist, I’m starting to think that’s just part of the process…doesn’t make it any easier, but it helps us define ourselves and really challenge ourselves to create better work.
Another challenge as a mom and a full-time workaholic was finding the time. Especially during quarantine and work-from-home environments. It’s really hard to step away sometimes and it’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day necessities of life. As a woman, we tend to nurture everybody else and forget that we can’t take care of others if we don’t take some time to take care of ourselves. Returning to my art was all about me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
A current body of work that I am completing is my hip hop-inspired collection. The series is currently at about 12 creatives with perhaps six more additions to come in 2023. Why did I start down this journey of Hip Hop culture creatives? It wasn’t intentional; it just kind of came about organically.
I wanted to capture why I fell in love with Hip Hop and what the movement, the songs, the artists, and the culture of Hip Hop meant to me. With each piece, I would submerge myself in the music, the era, the words, the life of the artist, and the videos, and each time they would take me back to a specific moment in my life when I first heard a song or the 100th time I heard that same song. The nostalgia as I created each piece was surreal and the next thing I knew, I was on a mission to capture these feelings and why I fell in love with Hip Hop. This collection is a look back at my teenage years, my time of development, and cultural influence, and includes a combination of black and white abstract caulk creatives and collage pieces from the CDs, forever preserving my love for what I would call my generation’s greatest era in African American music history.
This collection includes a combination of black and white abstract caulk pieces and collage pieces forever preserving my love for what I would call the greatest time in African American music history. Hip Hop literally has merged multiple cultures because everybody could fall in love and relate to at least one song.
A lot of the drive behind this collection is truly about sharing a moment in time. That sense of energy, excitement, and adrenaline when you first hear a song that you know you’re going to love forever. I wanted to capture the essence of Lauryn Hill and how she confirmed my youthful feelings of love and passion when I created “It Could All Be So Simple”. I listened to so many songs from DMX and genuinely felt emotionally drained and sincere melancholy as I created the collage “I’m slippin’ I’m fallin’ I can’t get up”. With each piece I feel connected even more to the musician than I did before, “It Was All A Dream” was energetic and Biggie’s nonchalant spirit was felt and “All Eyez On Me” had me captivated, blushing even as I reignited my crush on Tupac’s charisma and my desire for his mind. Stankonia brought Outkast sultry sexual vibes and then I jumped to a modern-day mood with Tyler the Creator and went rogue with colors. The Wutang pieces put it all into perspective for me and the connection between art and hip hop. THAT was the drive; To tell those stories.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Right now I’m participating in a variety of curated exhibitions that specifically fit my energy and I love it! Being around so many other like-minded artists is absolutely inspirational and so validating! In addition to looking for more exhibitions to showcase my art in, I’m also looking for like-minded artists to collaborate on art with.
Of course, collectors can support me by buying art but I also love good old fashion feedback, art talks, and the opportunity to just vibe with others about the creative process.
Pricing:
- It Could All Be So Simple | 40″x30″ | $3,200
- The Low End Theory | 30″x30″ | $2,900
- From Life To Albums | 48″x60″ | $2,500
- It Was All A Dream | 24″x24″ | $650
- C.R.E.A.M. | 30″x30″ | $250
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thecaulkartist.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecaulkartist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecaulkartist
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=thecaulkartist
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy6I-r_NxOE7lC636g3M3uw?sub_confirmation=1
- Other: www.ArtPal.com/thecaulkartist
