Ever since I was a little girl art has always been something that was very important to me. Instead of barbies and dolls I received paints and art sets for Christmas. As I got older graphic design began to catch my eye. The art and skill of combining text and images to convey a message I wanted people to know about was very appealing, but i never wanted to lose the little girl inside me who always got so much pleasure out of working with materials that I could physically manipulate in interesting ways. This is why as an artist I try to indulge in all forms of media and materials from fabric, crayon, paint, paper, photography, just physical materials you can touch and feel but then apply it to commercial graphic design work. Being a mixed media graphic designer my process becomes different in the ways that I first come up with the idea I would like to express, then explore material options, and then lastly the physical act or creating a piece. The ability to work with your hands and feel the materials gives you a very different experience of creating art. For example in a three part series of Human Mechanical Poster I gathered all the materials needed to transform the human body from man to machine from old electronics and car parts. The sifting through different materials really helped me visualize the end result and what I wanted to accomplish but also gave me options I had never even thought of.
I believe inspiration can come from anywhere, but for me I am really driven by music, nature, architecture, and Native American artifacts. Nature is something that surrounds us everyday and it is hard not to be inspired. From a fallen leaf on the side walk in the shape of a heart or a momma bird in its nest with its babies nature represents life and beauty. I feel this is also found in Native American artifacts. The culture with the beauty of handmade clothing and head pieces is something that truly can be marveled over and the technique and intricacy is something I have always admired and now strive for in my own work. As far as architecture goes the different forms created by raw materials become practical pieces of art to me. Just as a painting can be beautiful and expressive so can a building that also has an applied use.
Although a big part of my work is derived from mixed media I still am struck by graphic design and the ability to convey a message in a very clean presentation. As a designer my style tends to be a very playful and have a fun spin on difficult subject matter. Although not all not all my work deals with difficult subject matter a large portion focuses on topics such as gay marriage, government censorship, wildlife conservation, or the overuse of technology. To me art should be fun and not taken too seriously, and making something eye catching and interesting does not mean that it has to be vulgar or shocking. Taking media that otherwise would make people uncomfortable discussing and putting a playful spin on it makes the topic more approachable and can give even complete strangers the ability to start a discussion although they may have completely different view points of view and allow us to connect on a new level.
Nicole Darrigan 