The Abstract Mind of Shamira Nicolas

From the performing arts to the fine arts there are a select handful of people who are so talented and unique that a mention of their first names alone is more than enough to embody their work. Ironically, many of them have such unusual first names that one has to wonder if their parents had a bit of intuition in naming them. Such names as Angelina, Madonna, Leonardo, and Shakira come to mind. Modern abstract art is no different with Shamira.

Abstract thinking and abstract fine art is often the most misunderstood and misinterpreted medium of expression.

HHM: When were you first drawn to the visual arts?

SN: My earliest memory of being drawn to the visual arts is when I was four years old. When I would look at objects, I did not really see the objects themselves, but rather their colors and forms. For example, while looking at a tire, instead of seeing a tire and thinking of its function on a car, I see concentric circles, black and white.

HHM: What influences your art?

SN: My constant desire to interpret the objects around me and understand how each object plays a part in the balance and imbalance in the world around me.

HHM: Which artists have had the biggest impact on your work and why?

SN: Mondrian and Kandinsky. I feel that they are able to interpret reality at a much higher level. When you really get it, it can’t be faked.

HHM: Where did you study art?

SN: Cleveland Institute of Art. Summer schools in Paris. Paris has a great preservation and appreciation for art. Walking through the museums was an amazing education.

HHM: What drew you to abstract art over more traditional forms of art, such as realism?

SN: The desire to understand the world. The world can only be understood through abstraction. Understanding the universe through any forms of media, music, fine art, or film is essentially a spiritual journey.

HHM: What music inspires you?

SN: Bach and Beethoven. Their music was truly original and not merely a modification of their contemporaries.

HHM: Why do you think modern abstract art is so misunderstood?

SN: Mondrian and Kandinsky laid very powerful stepping stones for true abstract interpretation of their environments, but many artists only grasped what was on the surface and simply added a bit of ornamentation onto it. They did not understand the underlying methodology which was used to create the art. Sadly, many art critics did not have a classic understanding of abstract methodology either.

For more information visit: www.ShamiraNicolas.com