NIC NOTION (American, b. 1983) is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in Highland Park, Michigan. He has been involved in Detroit's Music and Art scenes for two decades. As an Artist and Curator, he has worked with many artists - locally and worldwide. His methods include using putty knives and layers of paint to create distinct textures which expose the tension and contrast within his ever-changing environment. These details, containing themes of optimism, nature and God are expressed in his abstract paintings. He blends elements of Fine Art and Anthropology to shine light on the conjunction between beauty and decay. He is now studying Anthropology at Wayne State University.

Nic Notion has shown his work in Detroit, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and London UK.

I am an artist who focuses on abstract landscapes of nature consuming residential and industrial structures. Recently I began to tie dye my canvas before painting. Ever since childhood I have had a passion for art. Visiting cities like San Francisco, Oakland, New York, and Detroit, I fell in love with American architecture and the diversity of building materials: brick, marble, bronze, and gold. The shapes of the buildings and their interaction with natural elements such as air, fire, and water, all serve as major aesthetic inspirations to my art. My love for art is paired with my love for Mother Nature and her dynamic power. I aim to capture some of that power in my art; An ongoing dance between nature and man, particularly man-made structures. My aim is not to paint something out of a disaster movie, but to create dynamic and majestic imagery deeply rooted in city life. My task is to excite the viewer with new methods and processes that are unorthodox and inspiring. I primarily use raw canvas, purchased by the yard. This allows me to get much more canvas to work with than if I were to buy pre-stretched canvases. Buying the canvas by the yard also gives me opportunity to tie dye the canvas in a way one would tie dye a shirt. I employ folding and rolling techniques to the canvas before dying the canvas. Once the canvas is dry I then stretch the canvas on stretcher bar frames. I then apply paint with several sizes of putty knives. I use white and black gesso and high gloss enamel almost exclusively in order to keep my paintings cohesive with each other. My studies of Anthropology at Wayne State University and my lifelong interest in spirituality has had a profound influence on the themes in my art. Charles McGee and Tyree Guyton are two artists that have influenced the way I approach my art and through that I've learned to be fearless and to challenge misconceptions and status quo.

My art resides in the contradiction between grit and beauty found in the streets of Detroit; A city of extremes and vital American history. I am aesthetically inspired by the city’s architecture and abandoned elements. My life in the city, and everyday interactions with the people of Detroit, has given powerful breath to my work. I apply layers of paint to create distinct textures, exposing the tension and contrast within my ever-changing environment. My work is meant to impact and inspire young people to appreciate their environment, this includes architecture and people. By appreciating their environment, they will be empowered to preserve nature and celebrate their community. While working at Detroit's Boll YMCA, teaching video production and Art techniques to middle and high school students, I began to understand the importance of community and our youth. This experience taught me the importance of youth empowerment. Art and its many techniques are amazing ways to positively impact the future of our communities. As a printer of digital art at an international print company, I was able to exchange ideas and perspectives with some of Detroit's leading Artists. We discussed the best ways to transform original art works into multiples and other particulars such as sizes, colors and paper types. This time in my life was very impactful because I was working and living on the same street in Eastern Market. My bond with my neighborhood and the community of Eastern Market was inevitably damaged when the majority of the buildings were sold, creating mass evictions and artist displacement. I purchase a house in Highland Park, Michigan. The house was built in 1911 to house executives of the newly successful Ford Motor Company, based in Highland Park. I am inspired by homes in my community representing the early days of middle class America. My family moved to this part of the country nearly 100 years ago to work in factories and construction. Living in Highland Park in a historic antique house in my family's neighborhood has created a new community connection for me. I have uncles, cousins and family friends that live in my neighborhood. Much of the art that I make comes from these interactions and connections. Turning my house into a gallery/museum is my next approach at community impact that will further affect lives in a positive way.

‘Spaces and Times’ is an eight-piece series involving tie dye methods on raw canvas. I began making these soon after my first child was born. The shapes and markings on each canvas depict buildings and natural elements existing and colliding concurrently. This series deals with time and space, gratefulness, and love. These pieces demanded a little more time and tenderness than my earlier creations. They combine my earlier process on to a tie dyed canvas. I folded, rolled and tied each canvas uniquely, before beginning the dying process. I repeated this process for each color until I was satisfied with the outcome. After drying in the sun for several hours, I stretched each canvas on stretcher bar frames. In the foreground, I continued to use exaggerated shapes of natural elements and manmade structures, however I am now incorporating realms of the ancient past and the cosmic future.

In the Spring of 2020 a lockdown due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, was implemented. This left me with much more free time as well as a creative spark. I took two walks daily, once at dawn and once at dusk. One day while on my morning walk, I noticed a building on fire before sunrise. As the sun rose, the fire settled down, producing a beautiful contrast in the sky. When I got home, I immediately began to plan out ‘Fire on Hamilton’. This painting is my first successful attempt to use natural dyes in my art. I eventually created three paintings in this experimental series. These three paintings use dye and water over the top of a layer of white gesso. My later and current paintings involve tie dying un-primed canvas, creating a different effect. This piece represents yet another development in my artistic process.

‘Love Lockdown’ was produced alongside ‘Fire on Hamilton’, during the 2020 lockdown. Inspired by my daily walks around Highland Park and the Boston-Edison district, I exaggerated shapes and angles of natural elements and manmade structures. I created three paintings in this series. The title of this piece is inspired by the Kanye West song, "Love Lockdown" from his fourth album, '808s & Heartbreak'. I decided to title it this because I was going through a break-up, and the country was under a governmental lockdown. This painting is my second use of natural dye in my art. I primed the canvas multiple times before applying grey and black dye. This allowed the dye to sit and dry on top of the canvas rather than soaking into the canvas.

‘Summer on the North End’ aims to capture the stillness of a Detroit summer evening. This neighborhood is called the "North End". The neighborhood received an economic and cultural boom in the 1920s and 1930s due to the success of the automotive industry. Many Motown musicians grew up in the North End, including Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franklin. At the time of this painting, abandoned homes and empty lots occasionally created a Zen like stillness throughout this neighborhood. This painting is meant to convey the peacefulness of the unknown, embracing change and trusting one's journey. In recent years, the North End was revitalized and is a thriving neighborhood once again. By using different edges of the putty knives, I painted this piece layer by layer. This strategy became a principal part of my painting process.

‘The Crowd Pleaser’ depicts a hooded figure on top of a car, during a display of civil unrest. On August 9, 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. A series of protests and riots ensued the day after the fatal shooting. The unrest sparked a heated debate in the United States about the relationship between police officers and Black Americans. Often peaceful protests become full on riots. In this piece,
I aimed at capturing the energy of a riot at night. It is part of a series of paintings I created for my 2015 solo exhibit, 'Etiquette'. This series was painted with black gesso and white enamel on hand stretched canvases. The matte black gesso and white high gloss enamel represents tension and excitement. This series also began my exclusive use of putty knives opposed to brushes.

CV

NIC NOTION

Born in Gilroy, California,1983.
Lives and works in Highland Park, Michigan.

Education:
2023- Present : Anthropology, Wayne State University 2001-2005 : Broadcast Communication, Wayne State University 1999-2001

Selected Solo Exhibitions:
‘We see ourselves in our city flag’ : Supino Pizzeria, Eastern Market, Detroit, 2021

‘Detroit Houses Harder’ : 2948 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 2019

‘Good Amerixan’ : 1440 Gratiot, Detroit, 2018

‘Amerixan Notion’ : Playground Detroit Gallery, Detroit, 2018

‘NNII’, Stairwell Gallery : Detroit, 2016

‘Etiquette’ : Fort Street Warehouse, Detroit 2015

‘Showcase’ : Kit and Ace, Detroit, 2015

‘Blah,Blah,Blah” : Boll YMCA, Detroit, 2013

Selected Group Exhibitions:
‘Into Action’ : Chicago, 2024
‘Glimmery’ : Sav-a-lot, Detroit, Curator, 2023
‘I, too, am Detroit’ : N’Namdi Center for Contemporary art, 2019

‘Group show’ : Playground Detroit Gallery, Detroit, 2017

MOCAD Gala : Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, 2017

‘Detroit Grind : Rush Arts, Chelsea, New York, 2017

‘Detroit’ : Film Premier and Promotional Mural, Detroit, 2017

‘The Detroiter’ : Heron Arts, San Francisco, 2016

‘Murals in the Market’ : Eastern Market, Detroit, 2016

Gallery Experience:
Unfolding Creative : Printer and quality control, Ferndale, 2018 - 2025

N’Namdi Gallery : Art Handling, Lighting, Special Events, Detroit, 2020 - 2025

Museum of Contemporary Art : Artist Assistant to Tyree Guyton, Detroit, 2018

1xRun / Interstate Gallery : Master Printer, Art Handling, Detroit, 2012 - 2018

Boll YMCA : Youth Art Teacher, Detroit, 2010 - 2013