Nolcha: How did the collaboration come about?
Skye Nicolas: As an artist, it's always been a priority for me to keep moving forward. To push myself to do better; to try new things, but still keep the consistency of producing quality work. When you're at the point that you want to try some new ideas and concepts, it's always beneficial for the artist to approach things objectively and get the opinion of other people; people whose work you admire. In this way you may see your work from a different perspective which adds new dimensions and depth to what it is you're about to create.
It was about a month before Halloween last year when I showed Marlon (Richards) some past works I’ve done. Being a former gallery owner, and a brilliant graphic artist, I knew he'd be someone who possessed the kind of eye that would objectively point out things in my work which would push me in the right direction.
He came up with an idea that would not only spark this ongoing collaboration, but would also benefit my growth as an artist. The initial idea was for me to provide him pieces which he would add his own graphic elements to later on. There was also the exciting possibility that we could use the final artwork as designs for limited edition graphic tees in the future.
N: Why the Film Noir inspiration?
SN: Marlon was very impressed with what he saw in my work; specifically with my technique. He knew that my work mainly revolved around painting beautiful women, and so he suggested that I take it a bit further and do something interesting. Something that would even be considered controversial by conservative standards. So he suggested, why not paint dead women? Paint beautiful, but murdered women. The concept immediately sounds morbid or even quite offensive when you first hear about it. But it's simply a nod to French film noir of the 40s and 50s. And that's how the Mortelle series came about. (Mortelle means "fatal" in French)
It's quite amusing because in the past few months, some people I knew overheard other people talking about a New York artist painting "dead girls". And these people were silly to presume that I actually used real dead people as studies for my work. There are also some people who have seen some of the actual pieces, but don't actually realize that the women in the paintings are supposed to be dead.
It's been an amazing experience working with Marlon. I'm very happy to have the chance to collaborate with someone I admire and have great respect for. He's one of the most intelligent people I know, and one of the funniest as well. The man has the sharpest sense of humor, and I don't know anyone who can match his wit. He's been very generous, and for that I will always be eternally grateful.
N: How did you select the models?
SN: I always saw this project as something fun and creative, so I naturally chose girls who were open minded and who also shared my enthusiasm to try out new things. It was good to know some friends who were excited about the concept of playing dead characters in a fictitious murder scene.
We all had fun going through the creative process as it was really nothing different from shooting a fashion editorial story. I work straight from photos, so we took some snapshots which served as my study guides in creating the final pieces. Everyone got into character which made it much easier for me. It's always good to work with models who can transform themselves into the character they're portraying.
N: Why did you choose Fashion Week to Exhibit?
SN: There's always this festive mood that's felt during Fashion Week. It's similar to the excitement a kid feels when the circus rolls into town. All the interesting people come out and get together to see the shows and attend all the cool parties after. It's also quite fun to think that the opening of my show lands on the ominous day of Friday the 13th; which perfectly suits the theme and concept behind the Mortelle series.
N: How are you influenced by fashion?
SN: Although I see myself as one of the last few figurative artists today who continues to take from techniques used by the French impressionists, I've always been a fan of fashion photography. I often find myself leafing through a stack of fashion magazines and being inspired by the amount of creativity in them. I think it's an interesting marriage between two different mediums of artistic expression: As much as I owe my technique of painting to the French masters, my compositions and themes are influenced by the beauty that is captured by the lens of fashion photographers.
Since I work straight from photos, I look forward to doing some collaboration with some great photographers. My very good friend (top Italian fashion photographer) Giorgio Z. Gatti and I have been coming up with ideas, and we hope to able to brew up something really cool very soon.
N: Where do you feel the strength comes from in the bond of fashion and art? So many designers quote artists and works of art as their inspiration… can you tell me more about how you see the relationship?
SN: Although they use a different medium to express themselves, designers are also artists who create works of art. Everything begins with the stroke of a pencil onto a sketchbook, which later becomes something amazing, that can be worn. So naturally designers are easily inspired by those who have devoted their entire lives to visual arts, and sometimes even inspired by the works of musical artists. The strength of this bond you speak of is ultimately the "creative process". This is the common element which creates a symbiotic relationship shared by both designers and artists.
Skye Nicolas: As an artist, it's always been a priority for me to keep moving forward. To push myself to do better; to try new things, but still keep the consistency of producing quality work. When you're at the point that you want to try some new ideas and concepts, it's always beneficial for the artist to approach things objectively and get the opinion of other people; people whose work you admire. In this way you may see your work from a different perspective which adds new dimensions and depth to what it is you're about to create.
It was about a month before Halloween last year when I showed Marlon (Richards) some past works I’ve done. Being a former gallery owner, and a brilliant graphic artist, I knew he'd be someone who possessed the kind of eye that would objectively point out things in my work which would push me in the right direction.
He came up with an idea that would not only spark this ongoing collaboration, but would also benefit my growth as an artist. The initial idea was for me to provide him pieces which he would add his own graphic elements to later on. There was also the exciting possibility that we could use the final artwork as designs for limited edition graphic tees in the future.
N: Why the Film Noir inspiration?
SN: Marlon was very impressed with what he saw in my work; specifically with my technique. He knew that my work mainly revolved around painting beautiful women, and so he suggested that I take it a bit further and do something interesting. Something that would even be considered controversial by conservative standards. So he suggested, why not paint dead women? Paint beautiful, but murdered women. The concept immediately sounds morbid or even quite offensive when you first hear about it. But it's simply a nod to French film noir of the 40s and 50s. And that's how the Mortelle series came about. (Mortelle means "fatal" in French)
It's quite amusing because in the past few months, some people I knew overheard other people talking about a New York artist painting "dead girls". And these people were silly to presume that I actually used real dead people as studies for my work. There are also some people who have seen some of the actual pieces, but don't actually realize that the women in the paintings are supposed to be dead.
It's been an amazing experience working with Marlon. I'm very happy to have the chance to collaborate with someone I admire and have great respect for. He's one of the most intelligent people I know, and one of the funniest as well. The man has the sharpest sense of humor, and I don't know anyone who can match his wit. He's been very generous, and for that I will always be eternally grateful.
N: How did you select the models?
SN: I always saw this project as something fun and creative, so I naturally chose girls who were open minded and who also shared my enthusiasm to try out new things. It was good to know some friends who were excited about the concept of playing dead characters in a fictitious murder scene.
We all had fun going through the creative process as it was really nothing different from shooting a fashion editorial story. I work straight from photos, so we took some snapshots which served as my study guides in creating the final pieces. Everyone got into character which made it much easier for me. It's always good to work with models who can transform themselves into the character they're portraying.
N: Why did you choose Fashion Week to Exhibit?
SN: There's always this festive mood that's felt during Fashion Week. It's similar to the excitement a kid feels when the circus rolls into town. All the interesting people come out and get together to see the shows and attend all the cool parties after. It's also quite fun to think that the opening of my show lands on the ominous day of Friday the 13th; which perfectly suits the theme and concept behind the Mortelle series.
N: How are you influenced by fashion?
SN: Although I see myself as one of the last few figurative artists today who continues to take from techniques used by the French impressionists, I've always been a fan of fashion photography. I often find myself leafing through a stack of fashion magazines and being inspired by the amount of creativity in them. I think it's an interesting marriage between two different mediums of artistic expression: As much as I owe my technique of painting to the French masters, my compositions and themes are influenced by the beauty that is captured by the lens of fashion photographers.
Since I work straight from photos, I look forward to doing some collaboration with some great photographers. My very good friend (top Italian fashion photographer) Giorgio Z. Gatti and I have been coming up with ideas, and we hope to able to brew up something really cool very soon.
N: Where do you feel the strength comes from in the bond of fashion and art? So many designers quote artists and works of art as their inspiration… can you tell me more about how you see the relationship?
SN: Although they use a different medium to express themselves, designers are also artists who create works of art. Everything begins with the stroke of a pencil onto a sketchbook, which later becomes something amazing, that can be worn. So naturally designers are easily inspired by those who have devoted their entire lives to visual arts, and sometimes even inspired by the works of musical artists. The strength of this bond you speak of is ultimately the "creative process". This is the common element which creates a symbiotic relationship shared by both designers and artists.
