“You must study the masters, but guard the original style that beats within your soul.”
These words of Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known as El Greco, resonate strongly with me. He was considered to be a painter of the spirit, and this expression of spirit is what compels me to paint.
I paint predominately with oils on canvas, often incorporating line drawn with charcoal or china marker. There is a strong emphasis on design and composition within my pieces, a result of my formal education and career in graphic design.
I love to portray narratives through a cast of characters in unexpected contexts, and to create the worlds they inhabit with graphic blocks of color, something now known as Ninaland. I find intrigue in translating traditional landscapes and backgrounds into fractured geometric fields, using color to communicate temperature and mood. Painting as a form of storytelling is my passion, and ultimately what inspires me to continue studying the masters while guarding the original style that beats within my soul.