At the end of June Nicomi posted in her stories on Instagram that she was going to be opening her shop up with original art from her archives. I joined the mailing list since her art is always fantastic and I didn't want to miss the shop opening. When I received the email I quickly scanned through the pieces and was immediately stopped in my tracks when I saw "A Barren Vessel" and before I realized it I had purchased the piece. Some pieces simply call to you and this was one of them. I could just feel there was something special about this piece and that I had to have it in my collection.
When the piece arrived I was awestruck. I knew it was a large piece but she had accidentally put the wrong size so I was surprised to see a piece even larger than I expected but that just made me happier to have it. I knew Nicomi puts a lot of symbolism into her art so after it arrived I emailed her to let her know it arrived safely and see if she cared to share a little about it. Well she was truly thankful I contacted her since she said she usually doesn't know where the art ends up or gets to speak to the collectors. She said "This piece was a special one for me, so this interaction is kind of the icing on the cake for my joy in it finding a home. This piece started as a sketch at the start of lockdowns. I was already going through the start of my work transitioning into something that I thought would feel more fruitful, while also having a bit of paralysis with here to begin. Feeling swollen with ideas, but surrounded by big white sheets of paper. The piece was a reflection of having the fruits of your labor in reach (staring at the swollen belly of the goose) while not ultimately being able to produce anything (surrounded by a bit of a cage), hence The Barren Vessel." On top of that she shared some wonderful progress shots that just made the connection even more meaningful to me. So glad I was able to give Nicomi closure for this piece and to give it the happy home it deserves.
Nicomi's art is stunning in person. She uses mostly graphite to render her pieces and the depth of tones is truly inspiring. The blacks in this piece are the darkest I have ever seen rendered. I simply love all of the wonderful details she captured. One of those pieces you just step back and take it all in. The perfect example of this phenomenal artist's work and one I'm absolutely thrilled to have in my collection.
Size 24x30" paper on wooden panel
