THE CAULK ARTIST

Nicole was born in Germany, she always jokes about being “A Product of the United States Government” since her dad was in the military, stationed in a small town called Sachsenheim. Her parents weren't married at the time, so she was a German citizen until she turned 8 years old. Then, she officially moved to the United States.

Nicole’s love for art started by scribbling on notepads and book covers. In High School, she took her first art class and fell in love with her art teacher, Mrs. Eva Kusheid.

“She was so passionate, fun, a bit goofy sometimes even, and I just loved her spirit. She took the class to several art shows and invited us to one of her early exhibits, and it was truly inspirational to see her creative journey. I felt accepted the most by her and while in art class which was probably a huge part of my natural tie to being a creator.”

Before creating with caulk, Nicole has always created visual pieces. She says “Being creative crossed over into crafts, refurbishing decorative items, sometimes it was poems, short stories, to sculptures that I would form out of random broken toys or whatever materials we had laying around. I remember making a little human figure once out of a slice of bread that I didn't want to eat.”

Nicole and her siblings used to build entire cities on the sidewalk out of leftover construction wood blocks and cereal boxes because it's what they had. “Our imaginations had no limit. Then we'd clean it all up each night and start all over again the next day. Back then, I didn't think of it as creative expressionism, but it absolutely was when I look back at it now.”

Most would categorize Nicole’s works as abstract. She uses a combination of sculpture and caulk in some of her pieces. Which can give an abstract feel. Nicole does not put herself in an artistic box. She is simply just an artist doing what she loves.

The first project Nicole created that had an emotional tie was one she created in 2004. She was diagnosed with endometriosis. She had a few procedures that would remove some layers and lining within her uterus, followed by a colonoscopy, which is a procedure removing precancerous tissue. “It was a scary moment and there wasn't a lot of information out there just yet regarding cone biopsies.”

She created Das Rot Frau, a piece that got her through that time of confusion and anxiety.

“I never shared or posted it anywhere because she truly made me angry for a while and the lack of control over my own body. I hid her in the attic for years. Then the female empowerment movement hit art and not only were women creating art that depicted their experiences and struggles with reproduction but I found all sorts of creatives embracing it all, from their reproductive cycle, to freeing the nipples, and artists who actually used their own flow...a bit much for me, but it was an awakening and a huge comfort knowing I wasn't alone in how I was feeling.”

Nicole is getting back into her creative state of mind.

She took a hiatus from art to raise a family, pursue a career and something had to give. Unfortunately, Nicole's art was sacrificed. “So many women, moms, wives give up what we love for our families, and the ability to pick that back up is so refreshing. I lost sight of who I was for a very long time because I was just straight-up busy, but art has always been there for me, and it feels good to reunite again.”

Nicole draws a lot of her inspiration from modern-day artists. She often finds herself mesmerized by those who are so different from her work.

"Exotic Cancer's work is ahhhhmazing… I love what she creates with the stripper experiences and female images to a point where I can feel the mood, their emotion, and I'm not even a stripper. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Koketit art is so smooth, classy, sensual, soothing. I could follow her lines with my eyes all day.”

Right now, Nicole is working on a Woman Of The Bible series. She has a love/hate relationship with people and their perceptions of religion. She even says she struggles with some of the requirements of being a "Christian" let alone the heightened obligations of being a "Christian woman.” This series will depict some of the women characters that she has resonated with.

"A lot of research went into this one before I even started creating it. I’m excited to give these women attention they deserve. The irony is their struggles are still common struggles today, we still have the side chick, the loyal, the overly committed, the foolish, or the ride-or-die. I'm eager to see how they transpire.”

Artist Advice

"I can relate to the female artist who is re-finding their art passion. After giving up so much of our time and ourselves, to come back to being creative can be scary, but I advise them not to be afraid. Go for it... Jump right in and put that same energy that you put into your kids back into you now! Be it if you are re-finding your love for art or if you never stopped, give it your all and know that everything around you will survive."

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