The first time I saw Nina Lagervall's large-scale "bone" drawings at an art show in Ellicott City, my mouth literally dropped open because of their power.
Says Lagervall, a local artist with an impressive background, "The black and white skeleton drawings work with the idea of things that exist but remain unseen. What happens in the hidden spaces of our physical selves?"
..."I imagined a solar system at work within the skeletal structure, a lunar eclipse through a pelvis. I am attracted to the precise place where things meet -- inside to outside, shadow to light."
She goes on to say of herwork in general, which
has grown and changed
over time:
"I like to think that my strength
lies in communicating ideas visually.
Using creativity and insight to help
people define their vision is both
challenging and extremely rewarding."
Lagervall worked for several years in the technology consulting field as a graphic designer, her job growing from a production design to the title of senior graphic designer. As a consultant she worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, AOL, and GEICO. Then, in 2002 she began her own creative arts business. Most recently she has worked on projects for Black Entertainment Television, Inc; The Katie Johnson Fellowship International, and The Virginia Hospital Center.
She adds: "In addition, I keep my interest in fine arts alive. I continue to paint and to work as a portrait artist as well as landscape."
Nina Lagervall currently serves on the board of the Katie Johnson Foundation, International which promotes friendships between people with and without severe disabilities. In 2005 she helped to found a non-profit community art gallery --Let There Be Art, within the Catonsville Presbyterian Church --which serves to plan and present community art exhibitions.
And an Artist's Statement:
"I believe the art of seeing contributes largely to being an 'Artist'. The desire to capture what I see and feel in the world pushes me to paperpaper and paint...
...In my best moments, emotion and spontaneity enter the process. Watercolors in particular allow for freedom, permeability and chance. "At times I have something specific to “say” and other
times not. I like having a kernel of an idea to work from but try not to become blocked if I don't. Mainly, I am grateful for the visual poetry of the world and our relationship to it..."
Nina Lagervall lives in Catonsville, MD with her husband, two children, a dog and cat. In addition to painting, Nina teaches art classes and runs a graphic design business, NBL Design. She also accepts commissions to paint portraits and homes. In 2005 she founded a non-profit community art gallery, “Let There Be Art,” within the Catonsville Presbyterian Church, which serves to present community art exhibitions, and provides artists with a free place to show and sell their work.
So, what is the future for Nina Lagervall? "
"I'd like my next work to explore the place where the individual meets the world--ultimately where human isolation and fragility meet the unnamed for which we long. "
Nina's web site:
410.747.1484
Blog content by Kay Weeks; photos, Nina Lagervall.
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