Nic Noblique
Nature has always informed my work. Other influences have come from traveling as a teen to Europe and visiting museums, often spending hours studying the sculpture and paintings. Snowboarding and skateboarding have been a substantial inspiration in how I translate ideas from my head to the studio for production. Transitions in the landscape; hills, slopes, gaps, gorges, and inclines, for example, naturally translate in my mind to form a line, curvature, and balance in mathematical terms. I work in steel and my studio is capable of most fabrication needs including quite monumental works.
I have fabricated some of my own machinery that allows me to push the limits. Most notably, my 60-ton cold rolling / 3-bar pinch rolling machine that is built from entirely recycled parts including a 50-year-old transmission from an oil jack-pump. I do love to play with color in juxtaposition to the environment and surroundings, often making use of how color can elicit physical reactions and emotional responses. I am drawn to rusted patinas and stainless steel for their ability to stand out and sustainability is at the forefront of my process. - Nic Noblique