Nicole Anastas
Nicole Anastas creates topographic paintings that are often pulled apart and reassembled, leaving areas that are frayed, gritty, and scarred but also smooth, ornate, and beautiful.
Where are you from and where do you reside?
I grew up in Akron, Ohio and spent my college years at Ohio State in Columbus. I lived in Chicago after college, but we moved back to Akron to start a family. In 2006, we moved our family to Los Angeles to raise our two daughters and have more creative opportunities.
What necessities do you require when making your art (radio, specific paintbrushes)?
It all starts with cotton canvases and various fabrics with interesting textures plus embroidery floss and needles. I need my sewing machine to kick off the process and framed canvases, canvas-stretching tools, and an easel (or two) on which to paint. Gesso, acrylic and latex paints, and dozens of brushes help me finish off each piece. I like listening to music, news podcasts, and catching up on TV shows while I work. I definitely like good audio to keep my momentum.
Describe a typical day in the studio for you.
Every day is a little different. I break up my process and usually work on several pieces at a time. I have sewing days where I piece the canvases together with my sewing machine and then I’ll stretch them over the frames. I then have days where I just hand-sew the stretched canvas to add details and embellish the surface. This process often takes longer than the machine sewing because I add a lot of individual details. I have gesso days, where I prime the sewn canvases, and then I sand them to get them ready for painting. And yes, finally, I paint them which brings the organic shapes and accents to life.
How important is spontaneity in your art?
Spontaneity is very important to my process. My initial sewing of shapes into the canvas is spontaneous and intuitive. I love to start sewing and see where it leads me. I have pieces of sewn canvases – and other textiles – that I manipulate and then add as I sew. And once it’s sewn and stretched, I add the hand-sewn details wherever I feel more flourishes are needed. The painting doesn’t happen until the canvas is fully realized!
Cotton canvases are ideal because I can fold and sew them easily and get the overall look I want—I like to rip it across the grain and take out the threads from the canvas to give it a rough, fringed look. I also like to sew with felt and other textured fabrics that add complexity to my artwork.
Nicole Anastas
When did you begin your current practice?
I started playing with the sewn canvas about 10 years ago and it’s taken me where I am today. I look at my early work and, while I’ll like much of it, it was simpler but it did get me to this point today.
How has your work developed in the past few years, and how do you see it evolving in the future?
My work has gotten more complex and structured regarding the patterns I sew into the canvas, but my painting and color palette has become more subtle and monochromatic. I’d like to keep structuring the canvas in different ways, and am beginning to take my sewn canvases to three-dimensional forms—like columns that I build and stem from my furniture-making days—that are more sculptural, but wall art will likely continue to be my overwhelming focus.
How do you choose your materials?
Cotton canvases are ideal because I can fold and sew them easily and get the overall look I want—I like to rip it across the grain and take out the threads from the canvas to give it a rough, fringed look. I also like to sew with felt and other textured fabrics that add complexity to my artwork.
Have you always worked with textiles? Why do you choose to work with it?
Yes. My love of textiles started with my creating fashions for myself in high school and it continued with my fashion design studies in college. I did start painting canvases but then my earlier textile-focused work kicked in and I started to sew the canvas from the start to give form and greater dimension to my work. I work with textiles because I love the texture and depth they give to my artwork.
Do you remember the first work of art that captured your attention?
I’ve always loved art and art-making, but when I studied fashion design at Ohio State I was a docent at the Wexner Center for the Arts and was mesmerized by these photos of Duane Michaels. His images were so beautiful; I loved the way he captured the moments and added text so perfectly. His photos, and coffee table books, still accompany me to this day.
What’s next for you?
I am putting my sewn canvases onto three-dimensional columns that are more like sculptures. I am tapping into my years of building custom children’s furniture, which was a business I had over twenty years ago. I love sewing, painting, and, yes, building too—it’s all the same process.
Published May 25, 2023.
