Nina Clayton
Art
https://www.nclaytonart.com/home
Pole Vault. Collage, 2025
Green Bluegreen. Collage, 2025
Bird on a Wire. Collage, 2025
STATEMENT
What is the best way to speak to others visually? Maybe it is to engage the viewer on a subconscious level. To create a conduit to imagination, like seeing faces in passing clouds. To summon natural instincts, when dark, mysterious shapes somehow seem familiar. Or to focus attention when something unknown seems curious. Using metaphor is important. Since abstract art is not literal, I use that method for my work.
In abstract art there is still great planning and preparation. Yet, the work absorbs me until the last moment, when I look up and say, “That’s it, there is nothing more to do. The painting is complete”. It may be a thrilling success. Or just competent. Or neither. Of course, it is never possible to say everything you want to say in one piece, but that’s the beauty of a series. It is like chapters of a book.
When I begin an artwork, I often use this method to stimulate my imagination. It is a reductive method I use for collages. I begin by painting patterns, textures, lines, and spatters on a large sheet of watercolor paper or linen. I look at the painted surface, add more where needed, until images start to appear, waiting to be liberated from the chaotic background. Then I carve out areas, almost like drawing with a knife. When I have enough, I can start assembly, piece by piece until shapes are fully realized. I use these instead of the found-images, such as photos, traditionally used for collages. I can also adapt a similar version of this technique to canvases, without cutting.
There is not a single way to interpret abstract painting. It reaches you—or not—in your own way. What matters is the individual connection. In this manner, the process is a collaboration: the artist, the process, and the viewer.
What is the best way to speak to others visually? Maybe it is to engage the viewer on a subconscious level. To create a conduit to imagination, like seeing faces in passing clouds. To summon natural instincts, when dark, mysterious shapes somehow seem familiar. Or to focus attention when something unknown seems curious. Using metaphor is important. Since abstract art is not literal, I use that method for my work.
In abstract art there is still great planning and preparation. Yet, the work absorbs me until the last moment, when I look up and say, “That’s it, there is nothing more to do. The painting is complete”. It may be a thrilling success. Or just competent. Or neither. Of course, it is never possible to say everything you want to say in one piece, but that’s the beauty of a series. It is like chapters of a book.
When I begin an artwork, I often use this method to stimulate my imagination. It is a reductive method I use for collages. I begin by painting patterns, textures, lines, and spatters on a large sheet of watercolor paper or linen. I look at the painted surface, add more where needed, until images start to appear, waiting to be liberated from the chaotic background. Then I carve out areas, almost like drawing with a knife. When I have enough, I can start assembly, piece by piece until shapes are fully realized. I use these instead of the found-images, such as photos, traditionally used for collages. I can also adapt a similar version of this technique to canvases, without cutting.
There is not a single way to interpret abstract painting. It reaches you—or not—in your own way. What matters is the individual connection. In this manner, the process is a collaboration: the artist, the process, and the viewer.
Brite Lites, Silent City. Collage-painting, 2022
Boxed In. Collage, 2025
Nesting. Collage, 2025
Black Widow, 2025
Fault Line, 2023
BIO
Born in NYC, Nina Clayton lived in Italy as a teenager and studied in Paris after high school. This experience enticed her to pursue a life in the arts. After earning a BFA in Painting, she studied design at SVA, illustration at Parsons, and traditional painting at the iconic Art Students League.
For many years, Clayton worked as a graphic designer. She now makes art full time at her studio in Brooklyn. She lives in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan.
Clayton’s work has been shown in National venues including Prince Street Gallery, Morehead State University, Kent State University, and the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum. Professional affiliations include the National Association of Women Artists, the National Collage Society, and Artists Equity.
Born in NYC, Nina Clayton lived in Italy as a teenager and studied in Paris after high school. This experience enticed her to pursue a life in the arts. After earning a BFA in Painting, she studied design at SVA, illustration at Parsons, and traditional painting at the iconic Art Students League.
For many years, Clayton worked as a graphic designer. She now makes art full time at her studio in Brooklyn. She lives in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan.
Clayton’s work has been shown in National venues including Prince Street Gallery, Morehead State University, Kent State University, and the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum. Professional affiliations include the National Association of Women Artists, the National Collage Society, and Artists Equity.
Aegean Temple. Painting, 2025
Erosion, Collage, 2023
136th Annual NAWA Members Exhibition