Nolie studied traditional media as a child, participating in minor local exhibitions on behalf of their teachers. But because they were often taught by the method of painting a specific thing stroke by stroke, they felt creatively stifled, and failed to truly mesh with any specific artistic medium. Despite this, they excelled at graphite sketches, pastels, watercolors, and the opportunities they had to paint with oil, acrylic, and tempera paint. Although their early work is in private collections, and good photography of it does not exist, even at the time, Nolie often downplayed their artistic ability, preferring to teach and encourage others rather than focus on their own artistic success.
After Nolie studied dance and music, and took up writing, developing a familiarity with photoshop allowed them to revisit their fondness for traditional art. The plethora of reference images on the internet made it easier to visualize scenes, and videos of highly skilled artists rushing through a painting in fast forward abounded. Instruction that previously had been on other people’s terms could now be mixed and matched to Nolie’s needs. And with Nolie’s increased awareness of their own body in space, a result of their dance training, Nolie could be even more judicious about muscle tension and proportion. And so Nolie returned to their supplies, and tried their hand again.
They did not restrain themself to representational techniques, or realism, but focused on abstract techniques, like paint pours, and chaotic uneven lines of dots, akin to raindrops on a window, or reptile skin. Their work often mirrors the same abstract patterns and themes found in their ceramic aesthetic, such as pointillism. However, it also expands into other styles, fluid and bright, influenced by art nouveau portraiture, and the fantasy artwork of the mass market fantasy novels they grew up reading.
Nolie frequently utilizes unconventional techniques, such as resin block painting, blending acrylic painting and resin casting to create complex, dimensional works of art that feel akin to the multi-plane camera style of classic mid-century animation. Please see Nolie’s FAQ about Resin Art for more information on the care of and process for producing Resin block paintings.
