This month I've connected with another talented soul by the name of Bronte Naylor. Now while I have not yet had the actual pleasure of meeting Bronte in the flesh, a meeting just seems inevitable. In fact our artwork is currently spending some time together at Firefly Cafe in Toowoomba as we speak.
I've been aware of and have recognised Bronte's edgy style long before I ever knew her name and thanks to a recommendation from our mutual artist pal Alice Weinthal this little conversation has been made possible. Alice was the first artist to be featured for this series...in case you missed her feature click here.
Now I'm not entirely sure when I saw Bronte's work for the first time - I'm pretty sure it may have been shared on Facebook - BUT one thing I am certain of is that I was suitably impressed when I did see it. Bronte's work has an undeniably playful energy that exudes confidence and authenticity. What I particularly admire about Bronte's style is that she somehow manages to balance feminine and masculine elements in a single image, thus allowing her work to speak to a wider audience. I LOVE that she is capable of this as it's something I myself have been trying to master for years... and so far I have not been able to!
So I'm already impressed with Ms Naylor aka NOKE...let's now find out even more about this clever woman.
Over to you Bronte! Xx
My name is Brontë Naylor - NOKE and I am 21 years of age. I'm currently living in luscious tropical Cairns while I complete a Bachelors Degree in Creative industries majoring in Visual Art. I'm originally from T-bar town.
I like enclosed shoes, eating with chopsticks, painting outside in the heat, glitter and swimming holes that you have to walk to get to.
I dislike shopping centres. I find them overwhelming and under stimulating all at the same time and I dislike when pens that don’t keep up with your workflow.
When did you first consider yourself to be an Artist?
I have typically invested more time in considering artwork rather than written text. As a result I think I developed ways of clearly understanding the visual language. Within these boundaries I would say I have evolved in the language of ‘art’ since primary school. These experiences I believe formulate the individuals ability for unique expression and creativity.
Though I think that in more recent times (the last 2 years) I have made a strong decision to choose my career as an artist and this has to take priority. Which often comes before other lifestyle choices. I rarely engage with people or activities that don’t evolve art as a form of language. This helps to remind and encourage me to stick with this commitment and clearly separates my direction from what it was before.
What do you paint?
The concepts I find that serve me the best are variations of interactions I have had with systems or people. The biggest inspiration for me is when a think of a concept that is truly authentic. Even when I believe I have a concept a certain amount of acceptance later down the track needs to be consider when my views change on the subject due to experience and knowledge.
I have recently explored the sensitivities of humans in the relationship. Whether it be a friend, a enemy or lover (who is sometimes both). At the time this topic was very important and interesting to me. I usually spend 6 months of one body of work or investigating a topic. It is hard to remain focused on the final body of work when your opinion starts to change in the meantime. My attitude toward the end of the body of work was transparent and reflected my wavering belief in the self-devised concept. It was an interesting learning curve.
A topic I do truly believe in is questioning the difference in value between literal and lateral ways of processing particularly within the context of education. Why do the systems see more value in being able to fill out forms and adhere to criteria rather than individual expression? Explored more broadly are themes of orthodox, education and value of the individual.
The comparison is achieved by the juxtaposition of abstract and realist forms of visual expression. Drawing from many styles that have come before to celebrate the postmodern nature of eclectic styles combining. Also sharing the philosophy of there not being a single all-encompassing solution to humanity’s problems. It would come from bits and pieces of previous movement and ideas. I generally paint about genuine acceptance and encouragement of there being many ways of learning and processing information that hold special in each person.
How did you first get your artwork 'out there'?
I found that first battle I had was realising that I had something to contribute to the scene or venue. With the support of MARS (Alison Mooney) I really started to be mentored and invited to group exhibitions. This aspect of exhibition was the most exiting because you feel like you are part of a bigger picture. This was mainly how my network started to expand, by being present. I have a history of exhibiting in Café’s, which was a great experience for me as a starting point. I believe that there are benefits of exhibiting work like this because the location can see a good cross-section of people who may not generally visit a gallery. While this is a good opportunity it does remove the art from a gallery context. This means audiences interact with your pieces in a very different way. It gives you a different scope in the work that you are able to produce, which can be limiting. I think a mixture of both gallery and alternate locations are beneficial. My first big gallery exhibition was alongside Alison Mooney in a dual exhibition called 'Lost & Found (in my head)'. It seemed like a very long time ago because I have progressed so much. This taught me about how a show sits within its space and how the pieces align with each other (very different to having them under your bed) An important lesson which I only keep learning more about.
- Being invited as a permanent Artist in Residence at Crate59
- Painting a mural in full aerosol - publicly at Bunker Records
- I have long admired Jugglers Art Space from afar and the work that comes out of there so it was a 'fan girl' moment for me to paint a large mural format work in their tunnel.
Visit my website www.brontenaylor.com
Find my on Instagram @papercranelady
Find me on Facebook – Bronte Naylor – NOKE
Resident Artist at Crate59 – crate59 on Facebook, @Crate_59
Show Bronte some love by sharing her work with your friends and maybe drop a comment here to pass on your encouragement for all that she has done, is doing and will continue to do.
As always thank you for reading,
Tamara x