Nicholas Nyland, Denny Hedgerow

Nicholas Nyland's Denny Hedgerow, activates ALL RISE's Denny Way plinths with four unique designs: one recalls a fantastical organic or geologic formation, another resembles an artificial animal print topped by a soft sculpture, the third features an optical pattern overlaid by a graphic yellow banding, and finally, a geometric design is ornamented with roughly hand built and glazed ceramics. Whereas each plinth features a different design, all four are consistent with the artist’s practice which includes works in a range of media that exist at the intersection of painting and sculpture. Characterized by open brushwork and a vibrant palette, Nyland's paintings and sculptures use basic means to explore the nature of abstraction and the various ways paint can be used to create form and meaning. This work is a harbinger of an evolving earth project at the interior of the ALL RISE campus.

Nicholas Nyland (b. 1976) lives and works in Tacoma, WA. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, Seattle and a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadephia. Previous projects include the 2011 On Site summer project at the Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle and solo exhibitions at Prole Drift, Seattle and Vox Populi gallery in Philadelphia in 2012. His artwork has been included in exhibitions throughout the region including the Tacoma Art Museum, Bellevue Art Museum, and the Henry Art Gallery, Seattle. Nyland received an Artist Trust Fellowship in 2008 and was a finalist for the 2013 Contemporary Northwest Art Award, Portland Art Museum.

Read Matthew Kangas' November 2012 review in Art in America