Pia van Nuland

BIOGRAPHY

Pia E. van Nuland was born in Germany with Dutch nationality. She studied Fine Arts at the Akademie voor Kunst en Industrie (AKI) in Enschede, The Netherlands and at the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland. In 1993 she graduated from the Akademie voor Kunst en Industrie. Between 2017 and 2018 she lived in Salt Lake City, Utah and traveled to the national parks in the south and to Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and California. Her work has been shown at group and solo exhibitions in Germany, The Netherlands, the US and Japan. Today she lives in Bremen, Germany, but frequently travels to Utah and the West.

ARTIST STATMENT

In my work I combine traditional techniques with modern contents. One recurring theme is the interaction of man and nature. Since 2011 I focus on the traditional technique of Linocut. I made first experiences with this and other printing techniques during my time as a student at art colleges in The Netherlands and Great Britain. Linocut was established as an alternative to woodcut printing during the late European industrial revolution. The availability of Linoleum, it’s low price (used for flooring) and easy handling made the material attractive for many artists. One can find examples among various representatives of classic Modernism or the German Bauhaus in Dessau. For my lino prints I use both, watercolors and oil-based colors. I appreciate the possibilities of mixing different tones through overlaying that one has with oil-based colors. Watercolors give me the possibility to create gradients, the colors are brighter, the surface is less shiny and reflecting.

Although I have access to a printing press I like to do handprints as well (paper on top of the plate using a Japanese Baren). These require more craftsmanship but produce results of greater individuality.