(“Sardine Fishermen 2010” by Nicole Pletts)The Elizabeth Gordon Gallery has a selection of new works by Durban artist Nicole Pletts. They are part of a series of the Sardine Run.
Nicole Pletts was born in Durban in 1964. She has been painting for twelve years – professionally for eight years. She is generally drawn to light and/or movement. Using all her own images, she likes taking photographs early morning or late afternoon when the colours are more subdued and prefers backlighting where possible.
Pletts is currently Vice-President of the KZNSA in Durban and has been a council member for five years. She is also involved in Arts Interactive.
She has participated in many group exhibitions – Casa Labia in Cape Town with Makiwa Mathomba, KZNSA with Pascale Chandler and Marianne Meijer, KZNSA Members Exhibition annually since 2004 and ArtSpace Durban (Conglomerart). She was a finalist for SASOL New Signatures 2009 (Pretoria Art Museum) and Jabulisa 2006 (Tatham Art Gallery, Pietermaritzburg).
“As a middle class white female, I was brought up where the “Woman stayed at home and men worked” mentality,” she says. “Hence most of my artwork is primarily male-dominated starting with a “men at work” theme a few years ago which threads a continuous pattern through my work today. My subdued tonal paintings seem to play havoc with people’s perception of me as a person. They see me as bright and bubbly – and find the work I produce out of character.
“People seem to enjoy putting a label on artwork or on the artist,” she adds. “I don’t spend time analysing or questioning why I paint what I do, or why I use muted colours (especially brown as it is my singularly most-disliked colour in the every respect – and yet it is the colour I use most). I am acutely aware of images around me and constantly keep a camera on hand in order not to miss any lost opportunities.”
The Elizabeth Gordon Gallery is situated at 120 Florida Road. For further information phone 031 303 8133, fax 031 303 8136 or email: joy@elizabethgordon.co.za
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