My Cross To Bear opens tonight at Sequential Art Gallery in Portland, Oregon. Please stop by and join me from 6 to 10 pm!

Five years ago, I used to spend every night after work and school working on art. I was doing a few solo shows a year and art was my passion. But then, a week after graduation, I was hired full-time at an agency and my life became all about design. In the years that followed, I never had much of a break. Between freelancing at multiple agencies and working with a huge amount of personal clients, art was put on the back burner. Also, let’s be honest. We all need to earn a living and design, especially when you have constant work, pays much better (and more consistently) than art. The longer I put off making art, the harder it became to jump back into the process. That all changed when I set up a new show with Sequential Art Gallery; it was just the opportunity I needed to start creating again. When you have a deadline, there’s no procrastinating allowed. I knew it was time.

When you sit behind a computer for 10 hours a day designing for other people, stepping away and sitting on your floor with a pair of scissors, glue and a stack of scraps with no brief or precise goal, it’s incredibly therapeutic. Tonight, I’m super excited to meet some of you in person and to get back to sharing something that’s very personal and incredibly fulfilling: my new series, My Cross To Bear.

Below, you’ll find a list of available pieces from the collection. If you see anything of interest, please contact Sequential Art Gallery directly at sequentialart @ gmail.com. They’re based in Portland and can ship anywhere! Each piece is signed on the back and wired for hanging.

1.
Full Circle, 2011
Collage and resin on wood
18 x 18 inches

2.
Type A, 2011
Collage and resin on wood
18 x 18 inches

3 & 4.
My Cross To Bear and Drown, 2011
Collage and resin on wood
18 x 18 inches

5.
The Arch, 2011
Collage and resin on ceramic
9 x 9 inches

6.
Dark Truth, 2011
Collage and resin on ceramic
9 x 9 inches

7.
2, 2011
Collage and resin on ceramic
9 x 9 inches

8.
19, 2011
Collage and resin on ceramic
9 x 9 inches

9.
Well Heeled, 2011
Collage and resin on wood
7.5 x 13.5 inches

10.
After Dark, 2011
Collage and resin on wood
11 x 17 inches

11.
Black Beauty, 2011
Collage and resin on wood
8 x 11 inches

12.
B, 2011
Collage and resin on wood
11 x 8 inches

13.
10, 2011
Collage and resin on wood
17 x 11 inches

Artist Statement

My Cross To Bear is a collection of 14 all new collage-based art pieces by Portland-based graphic designer and internet personality, Nubby Twiglet. After a three year hiatus from art, Nubby’s return is most notably marked by an abundance of black and white pieces which feature motifs bearing her trademark graphic style.

A visual continuation of the acclaimed 2007 series Black & White Graphic Insight, My Cross to Bear presents a more refined artistic direction, featuring typographic elements seamlessly woven with fashion magazine mash-ups. These themes are often merged with self-portraits to create a modern collage style that walks a fine line between graphic design and fine art.

On the surface, My Cross To Bear is an homage to the symbolism of the red cross which often plays a starring role in Nubby’s design work. On a deeper level, it also delves into the transformation that takes place when a shift from obscurity to notoriety begins to take hold. With much of our lives now splashed across digital mediums without a second thought, the line between what we consider our private and public selves is consistently blurred. In this evolving social landscape, nothing is considered sacred. This is our cross to bear.

Each piece of art is a Nubbytwiglet.com original and will be available exclusively at Sequential Art Gallery in Portland, Oregon beginning December 1, 2011.

My Cross To Bear:
Sequential Art Gallery, Portland, OR

Opening Party:
First Thursday — December 1, 2011, 6 to 10 PM

Show runs from December 1st through December 29th.

A very special thanks goes out to Joey for custom building my large red crosses and being there during every step of the process.