Nicole Cantore and the fine art of SACRED CIRCLES

A Look into the Past, Made New‌ mixed media merging painting with found objects and repurposing materials

Sacred Circles Nicole Cantore Koester

ARTIST’s STATEMENT : SACRED CIRCLES Inspired by nostalgia and childhood memories, I’m a self-proclaimed “old soul”. In this body of work I am influenced by sacred circles, the shape of Mandalas and their ability to help us reflect, meditate and access our spirituality. I’ve always had an innate interest in the past, historical nonfiction, different religions and the like.

A saver of trinkets, keepsakes things from my grandparents and childhood past, I’m constantly drawn to unusual and antiques materials. I find a soul satisfying reward in discovering old items, saving and reviving objects that can repeat, are recycled and ultimately repurposed. From natural materials such as bones, feathers, shells to industrial materials like old screens, glass, nails, metal and wood, to vintage games pieces and parts, I seek connections to things from my past. Marrying the old with new materials like; glitter, metallics, lost then found objects, repeat items such as jars, tops, bones, crystals I create pieces that can be appreciated and archived and respected forever.

Nicole Cantore Koester

My process is intuitive, I love texture, repeat patterns and surprise elements. In this body of work all the elements are thoughtful and for a reason, a purpose and follow a theme. Journey into the past while viewing the pieces through the Mandala patterns and objects chosen for the pieces, you’ll find surprise elements. These, for me are mediations into the past, the present and the future. I hope my pieces will allow the viewer to observe an old familiar objects with new materials in ways that allow them to uncover their own message.

BIO : Intuitive Artist | Entrepreneur | Teacher After receiving her BFA from Syracuse University, in Communications Design, Nicole began an extraordinary journey shaping her passion as an artist into an acclaimed career. With the ability to work in mixed media, ceramics, sculpture and painting and her Communications Design background, Nicole began by free lancing her design skills as a graphics designer.

Beyond the conventional creative, Nicole is took her passion and co-founded a ceramics studio with two of her childhood friends. There she taught people of all ages to unleash their creativity through custom painting unique pieces. Cantore Koester also holds a Connecticut Art Teaching Certification K-12 and has taught art to young children while continuing to create her own bodies of work.

Early influential artists that shaped Cantore Koester’s creative bent are; Calder’s Mobiles, Matisse’s cut paper, Kandinsky, Louise Nevelson and Dr. Seuss.

Nicole’s work can be found in private and corporate collections throughout the United States. She lives in Fairfield, CT with her beloved husband, two children and family dog and bearded dragon. For more about the Nicole Cantore Koester and her work, visit www.NicoleCantoreKoester.com Contact info: Studio by appointment only: The Knowlton, 305 Knowlton Studio #4, Bridgeport, CT E: nicoleCkoester@gmail.com C: 203-912-6673

Inspiration: “And the seasons they go round & round and the painted ponies go up and down. We’re captive on the carousel of time. We can’t return we can only look behind

from where we came and go round & round & round in the circle game” - Joni Mitchell

Size: 37”W x 48” H x 2.25” D Mixed Media: Wood, glitter, acrylic paint, glass baby jars, legos, spin art, jax, crazy straws, marbles, vintage color crayons, vintage dictionary, computer keys, spirograph, pickup sticks, playing cards, letter magnets, litebrite, bubble wands, unicorns

CIRCLE GAME I

Inspiration: “ When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful, A miracle, Oh it

was beautiful magical, And all the birds in the trees, well they’d be singing so happily oh joyfully, playfully watching me…“ Lyrics by: Roger Hodgson & Rick Davies

Size: 48”W x 72” H x 2.25” D Mixed Media: Wood, glitter, acrylic paint, glass baby jars, legos, spin art, marbles ,crazy straws, marbles, vintage color crayons, vintage dictionary, computer keys, spirograph, pickup sticks, lite brite, unicorns

CIRCLE GAME II

Inspiration: “You can have all the money in the world… but there is one thing you will never have – A dinosaur.” – Homer Simpson

Size: 48”W x 72” H x 2.25” D Mixed Media: Wood, glitter, acrylic paint, plastic water bottles, dominos, spin art, jax, crazy straws, marbles, vintage color crayons, vintage dictionary, dice, bubble bottles, army men, game pieces, checkers, toy cars, spirograph, vintage arrows, legos cowboy/Indian figures, lite brite, dinosaurs

CIRCLE GAME III

Inspiration: “Time, time, time. See what’s become of me. While I looked around for my possibilities– I was so hard to please…” - Paul Simon

Size: ”48 W x 72” H x 2.25” D Mixed Media: Wood, acrylic paint, glass baby jars, feathers, inner clock parts, coocoo clock, playing card, puzzle pieces, clock hands, clock chain

TIME FLIES I

Inspiration: “ I wish that I could fly. Into the sky. So very high. Just like a dragonfly. I’d fly above the trees, to anywhere I please… Oh I want to get away. I want to fly away yeah …yeah…

– Lenny Kravits

Size: ”48 W x 60” H x 2.75” D Mixed Media: Wood, acrylic paint, glass baby jars, feathers, clock parts, coocoo clock, playing card, puzzle pieces, roman numerals

TIME FLIES II

Inspiration: “ When U wish upon a star, makes no difference who U are. Anything your heart desires will come to you.” – Harline/Washington

Size: ”40 W x 60” H x 2.25” D Mixed Media: Wood, acrylic paint, sharpie, glass baby jars, mini sea stars, wish bones, screens, nails, stainless steel tiles, crystals, nails

WISH UPON A STAR I

Inspiration: “Whenever the moon and starts are set, Whenever the wind is high, All night long in the dark and wet a man goes riding by” RLS

Size: ”36 W x 52” H x 2.75” D Mixed Media: Wood, acrylic paint, sharpie, glass baby jars, mini sea stars, wish bones, screens, nails, stainless steel tiles, crystals, nails

WISH UPON A STAR II

Inspiration: “A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much

you are loved by others.” - The Wizard of Oz

Size: ”48 W x 72” H x 2.75” D Mixed Media: Wood, Wood, acrylic paint, sharpie, baby jar caps, gold leaf, chains, arrows, playing cards, Atari joysticks, money rolls, zippers, candy trays, glitter, lock & keys

I LOVE U I

Inspiration: “What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” Hellen Keller

Size: ”41 W x 36” H x 2.75” D Mixed Media: Wood, acrylic paint, sharpie, baby jar caps, gold leaf, chains, arrows, playing cards, game controllers, keys, zippers, candy trays, glitter, trophy topper

I LOVE U II

Inspiration: “Nature’s first green is gold. Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower.

But only for an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief. So dawn does down to day. Nothing gold can stay.” Robert Frost

Size: ”44 W x 48” H x 2.25” D Mixed Media: Wood, acrylic paint, glass baby jars, sea stars, shells, horseshoe crabs, feathers sand sticks, glitter

BY THE SEA I

Inspiration: “Singing to an ocean, I can heat the ocean’s roar. Play it for free, I play for me and play a whole to more, more! Singing about the good things and the sun that lights the day. I used to sing on the mountains, has the ocean lost it’s way?” -Led Zeppelin

Size: ”36 W x 44” H x 2.75” D Mixed Media: Wood, acrylic paint, glass baby jars, sea stars, shells, horseshoe crabs, feathers sand sticks, glitter, glass tiles

BY THE SEA II

Inspiration: “The most beautiful gift of nature is that it gives one pleasure to

look around and try to comprehend what we see.” – Albert Einstein

BY THE SEA III

Size: ”60 W x 48” H x 2.25” D \Mixed Media: Wood, acrylic paint, mother of pearl mosaic,, sea stars, shells, horseshoe crabs, spider crabs, rocks, feathers sand sticks, glitter, sea fans

Inspiration: “And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners. Now and at the hour of our death Amen

NANNY

Size: ”24 W x 48” H x 2.75” D Mixed Media: Wood, acrylic paint, prayer book pages, funeral cards, spools of thread, pins, thimbles, rosary beads, gold leaf, buttons, plastic water bottles

Sacred Circles A Look into the Past, Made New… Mixed Media/Merging painting with found objects /Repurposing Materials

Piece #

Title

Size

#001

In the Beginning

15”W X 48”H X 2’D

#002 #003 #004

Circle Game I Circle Game II Circle Game III

37”W x 48“H x 2.25”D 37”W x 48“H x 2.25”D 48”W X 72”H X 2.25”D

#012 #013

Time Flies I Time Flies II

48”W x 60”H x 2.75”D 37”W x 48”H x 2.75”D

#007 #008

Wish Upon a Star I Wish Upon a Star II

48”W X 60”H X 2.25”D 36”W X 52”H X 2.75”D

#005 #006

I LOVE U I I LOVE U II

48”W X 72”H X 2.75”D 41”W X 36’H X 2.75’D

#009 #010 #011

By the Sea, I By the Sea II By the Sea III

48”W X 44”H X 2.25”D 36”W X 44”H X 2.75”D 60”W X 48”H X 2.25”D

#014

Nanny

24”W X 48”H X 2.75”D

Mixes Media (all)

Contact info: Studio by appointment only: The Knowlton, 305 Knowlton Studio #4, Bridgeport, CT E: nicoleCkoester@gmail.com C: 203-912-6673

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