Californa based painter Nicole Buffett forms abstract landscapes – spaces wherein freedom from the representational enables deeper spiritual possibilities. “Abstraction allows all feelings to be felt, all visions to be seen. Abstraction has become the most articulate way for me to communicate the expansiveness and liberation found in creativity,” Buffett writes. “My creative process is about making sure the formality of the painting supports the objective – discovery, intrigue and activation of space.”

Perhaps the most striking characteristic of Buffett’s work is her innovative use of color, with bold, unexpected combinations adding to the overall balance in each piece’s composition and philosophical undertones. “I group my colors in a hierarchy – one where each color upholds the other and relates in the same way to personalities do with each other. I feel working with color in unusual ways becomes a catalyst to expand aesthetic standards,” Buffett explains.

Nicole Buffett marked the beginning of her collaboration with the Bill Lowe Gallery by having several pieces featured in the Bill Lowe Gallery’s “2007 Summer Group Show” held in Santa Monica. Her formal artistic training includes both an MFA and BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, as well as an independent study program for textile design held in Jaipur, India, an experience that profoundly influenced Nicole’s work. Numerous paintings have been obtained by private collectors in both New York and Los Angeles, in addition to a commissioned work from a collector in Japan.

BIO
1976 born in Los Angeles, CA
Lives and works in San Francisco, CA

EDUCATION
2004 MFA, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
2002 BFA, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
2001 Independent Study/Internship, Anokhi Textile Designs, Jaipur,

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2007 Drift, Oakland, CA
2006 Digital Domain, Venice, CA
2005 Swallowtail, San Francisco, CA
-- Hengst, San Francisco, CA 2004 Art Walk, The Brewery, Los Angeles, CA
2003 Buckminster Fuller Benefit Showing, Santa Monica, CA
2002 Inside Space, Los Angeles, CA
-- Superior Assembly Films, Santa Monica, CA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2007 Summer Group Showing, Lowe Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2007 Stellar Somerset Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
2005 Lisa Dent Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2004 MFA Graduate Exhibition, Herbst Pavilion, San Francisco, CA
-- Curated Group Showing, Crucible Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2003 Take-Out: Contemporary Chinese Art, Swell Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
-- Gene Carnival-Composing Biology: Art and Genetics, Swell Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
2002 BFA Graduate Exhibition, Walter and McBean Galleries, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA

SELECTED PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
2007 James Haygood, Los Angeles, CA
-- Amy Gayheart, Los Angeles, CA
-- Jaques Bolivar, San Francisco, CA
-- Patrick Ezeuhoz, San Francisco, CA
2006 Heidi Groshelle, San Francisco, CA
-- Colette Brooks, Los Angeles, CA
-- Diane Britz-Lotti, New York, NY
-- Heather Hartle, San Francisco, CA
-- Jennifer La Macchia, Washington DC
-- Lori Black, San Francisco, CA
2005 Scott Ross, Los Angeles, CA
-- Richard Fischer, San Diego, CA
2004 Lisa Ludwig, San Francisco, CA
-- Alfred Medcalf, Berkeley, CA
2001 Kodo Drummers, Private Commission. Japan

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
2005 Illustration for VHI/MTV Documentary Film, Freestyle:The Art of Rhyme
2004 Guest speaker for CCA. Textile Department. San Francisco, CA