Your Ah Haa Moment: new works by Nicole Finger at Art Walk

30 Aug Your Ah Haa Moment: new works by Nicole Finger at Art Walk

[click “Play” to hear Nicole Finger describing recent work]

It’s that time again: Telluride Arts’ First Thursday Art Walk (September 1, 2011), when venues of all stripes open their doors to showcase the best of Telluride’s arts and crafts scene, with everyone staying open late until 8 p.m.  At the Ah Haa School for the Arts the featured show is new work by Nicole Finger. The artist’s reception takes place 5 – 8 p.m.

Art is not just about the right color on the right surface. It is about synthesizing an artist’s experiences. Nicole’s new work,  new images of horses, proves we are what we create. “e-Motion”  – the name of Nicole’s show – is highly autobiographical and all the more powerful because the paintings are metaphors for Nicole’s life in particular and in the artist’s words, the “fleeting nature of life” in general.

In 2005, Nicole lost her father to cancer. The man, who owned thoroughbred racehorses, often suggested his daughter use her gift to paint horses. Nicole never did – until right after his death. “e-Motion” includes a racing series in which she explores the power and motion at the track.

“As a child, I was fascinated with the vibrancy of colors; from the jockeys’ silks to the horses glimmering coats to the bright green sod and the clay, sepia turf and white fences. I used a separation of color and sepia to break down the subject matter.”

Nicole Finger grew up in Bethesda, Maryland greatly influenced not only by her father’s lifelong passion with owning and racing horses, but also by her artist mother.

After earning a Bachelor of Fine Art at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Nicole worked in various art fields, including illustration, in both California and Colorado. Her work continues to show locally and nationally.

Nicole Finger is on the board of the Ah Haa School. Perhaps the most anticipated item on the runway at the school’s annual auction is the dress she creates on an art theme each year. The beautiful Nicole models the frock, driving up the price.

In general, the lady does not horse around.

To learn more, click the “play” button and listen to our conversation.