Nicole Phungrasamee Fein, Sky (detail), 2023. Courtesy the artist.
The Four Questions is a monthly series of short-form interviews in which we catch up with an artist we've previously gotten to know through their work at The CJM. This month, hear from Nicole Phungrasamee Fein, a San Francisco-based artist whose work has been exhibited in two Dorothy Saxe Invitationals at The CJM.
A: The CJM has fostered a vibrant community of Bay Area artists through the Dorothy Saxe Invitational exhibitions. I have been inspired to create new work exploring the themes of Sabbath and Tikkun in two iterations of the Invitationals. Learning about these Jewish concepts infused my studio practice with renewed spiritual depth, purpose, and reflection. I am deeply grateful to The CJM for their embrace of diverse voices.
A: I have long used watercolor to explore the flow of water in my "water drawings." In Sky, I look at clouds, the water in the sky. The work begins with a lot of sky gazing and a photograph of clouds which I translate into a hand-colored, half-tone pattern of dots. In contrast to the fleeting nature of clouds and our ever-shifting atmosphere, I draw the sky slowly and methodically using the full spectrum to create a dense yet ethereal skyscape. I hope the steady rhythm of my drawing practice affects and reflects my internal state while allowing the drawing to harmonize focus and repose.
Nicole Phungrasamee Fein, Sky (detail), 2023. Courtesy the artist.
A: open fields city streets star grass sand dunes water drops condensation rivulets crosswalk cracks cobblestones woven baskets bowls bales scales sky clouds dawn dusk bloom rustling leaves silver gold petals falling steam rising circles strata shadows silhouettes gardens reads listens walks runs tastes plaid stripes tile crackled glaze mud speckle art museums galleries studios light flight waves creeks currents tide pools shell limestone lichen moss gravel paper thread yarn pigment cotton linen wool silk ribbon glass salsify parachute seeds rainbows fog snowflakes moon stars hillsides panorama periphery dendrites domes grids dots breeze drizzle pine needles tree rings mountains coastlines orchards wanders ritual flocks maps bach fruit textiles libraries farmers markets travel drifts plumage sunrise sunset horizon lines teachers friends family felix mark lola agong home
A: Our friends, the Ledermans, host a Donuts and Dreidels party to celebrate Chanukah—a joyous reunion, especially with children home for the holidays. This year, they made sufganiyot using a recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi, filling the donuts with saffron cream and dusting them with cardamom sugar. Delicious!
Nicole Phungrasamee Fein was born in Evanston, Illinois (1974) and grew up in Santa Barbara, California. She attended Tufts University (BA), the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (BFA), and Mills College, Oakland, CA (MFA). Her work is included in numerous permanent public collections: the Achenbach Foundation at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Berkeley Art Museum; Blanton Museum; Fogg Museum; Hammer Museum; Menil Drawing Institute; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others. She has exhibited nationally and internationally in Paris, London, Zurich, Berlin, and Shanghai. Her work is represented by Hosfelt Gallery in San Francisco, Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York, and Devin Borden Gallery in Houston. Fein lives and works in San Francisco.