Mona by Nori Pepe

2021

Size

Linocut, Monotype & Chine Colle

$500

This piece was derived from an incredible and difficult challenge.  For me this became an exploration of process and a cathartic expression of the year we just endured.  I drew inspiration from da Vinci’s insatiable curiosity as well as his visual studies and research into the inner workings of the world around him.  While he could conjure such beauty on the surface, I found his desire to understand and build the structure from beneath fascinating.  While I intended to use Mona Lisa’s soft, painterly palette with pale yellows and teals to deep mahogany and violet, my palette seemed to start in the shadows. The techniques I used became almost the antithesis of da Vinci's style.  With each layer upon layer of prints and fragmented pieces of paper, I worked towards a final linocut depiction on the surface.  Through the process I found it’s what is hidden and untold, perhaps just hinted at, that is so unique in the act of creating.  

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Naomi C. Gallay

Naomi C. Gallay (1993) is a Swiss artist and designer. As a family member of five generations in the graphic arts, she received her BA from the graphic design department at ECAL (University of Art and Design of Lausanne) in 2016. In the year she worked as a designer in Southern California, she furthered her graphic eye while developing her artistic approach. Back in Europe, she was awarded the Jean Knechtli Fellowship, which honors an artist under 30 years old, and received attention from the renowned Parisian Etapes magazine. In the 5 years since graduating, she was invited to an art residency in Geneva, took part in several art shows, opened her studio, art directed creative projects and collaborations. Her artistic practice ranges from painting, oil pastels to digital tools. Her art is focused on the human form, transcending the boundaries of classical portraiture and gestural abstraction.