10 Questions with Noelle Kalom
Noelle Kalom grew up in the dynamic high desert of Taos, New Mexico, surrounded by a community of artists. Some of the ideas that inform her paintings come from early experiences at Taos Pueblo, where she witnessed and began a lifelong appreciation for the power of fire, mystery, ritual, and ceremony. Her abstract paintings embody the intensity and topography of the American Southwestern landscape. Bold, vibrant, contrasting colors are brushed onto a heavily textures canvas, creating works that express energy and motion.
Noelle has lived, worked, and exhibited her work in New York City, the Pacific Northwest, and Portugal. She is currently represented by Magpie Gallery in Taos, New Mexico.
Noelle Kalom - Portrait
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I am interested in the human tendency to find patterns and familiar forms in chaotic and random designs. My creative process is based on this innate impulse, and each new painting holds its own path of discovery. I begin by applying thick medium gel to the canvas. Using a palette knife, I add several layers to create a messy, unplanned topographic foundation. Contrasting colours are brushed on to emphasize the nuances of the textured surface, and at this point, pumice, beads or other media are often incorporated into the mix. It is through this process of layering that I begin to detect and highlight recognizable shapes and human features that form the painting’s composition. What slowly emerges is an abstract landscape in intense and shifting colours that reflect canyons, mountain ridges, rivers, and fields. In a nod to my passion for maps, the final painting invites the viewer to find their own path through this unknown territory.” - Noelle Kalom
Ancient, Acrylic and mixed media, 24x24 inch, 2023 © Noelle Kalom
INTERVIEW
First, tell us more about yourself. How did you begin making art?
I was born in Chicago, and my father was an abstract painter. My earliest memory is of my mother giving me a box of paints. I covered myself from head to toe in joyful colour, and I suppose this made a strong impression on me. Since then, I have always had a steady supply of art materials and encouragement to play with paint. That being my first experimental paint immersion speaks to how, to this day, part of my process is about the close-up tactile relationship between the paints and canvas. There is freedom from inhibitions when we are young and creating art; it is intuitive and connects us to a non-linear world within. This is something I strive for in my experimental abstract work.
You grew up surrounded by a community of artists, as you mention in your biography. How did this influence yourself as a person and your work as an artist?
The Taos Pueblo, a world heritage site, attracts people from around the world and growing up in Taos, New Mexico, embedded within me a lifelong appreciation of the power of fire, mystery, ritual, and tribal ceremony. My current body of work echoes the golden light, turquoise shards, umber earth, and crimson bedrock that infuses that landscape.
Inception, Acrylic and mixed media, 30x40 inch, 2022 © Noelle Kalom
Are you still following the same inspiration? And how did your work evolve over time?
Very much so; the Taos Pueblo is always with me. As to how my work has evolved over time, it is hard to describe without conjuring up some artificial linear narrative. I lead an engaged existence, am sensitive to political and social changes that shape the world around me, and am thankful every day for the abundance of life I see and feel, which finds its way into my work, almost without my understanding of how.
Let’s talk about your work. What inspired you to work with painting?
Painting has always been my choice as a medium. The process of layering paint and adding texture is like a journey of self-discovery. There has always been an internal drive to create art.
You have a striking style, with recognizable characters and recurring colors. How would you define your style? And how has it evolved over the years?
Thank you! In the category of painting, I affiliate with Abstract Expressionism, which is to me based on instinct, emotion, and spontaneity. Recurring shapes and drastic colour dynamics layered onto a textured canvas are like a concoction, randomly placed to be rediscovered at a later point to highlight subtle nuances.
Interconnected, Acrylic and mixed media, 60x60 inch, 2020 © Noelle Kalom
How do you choose the subjects to paint? And where do you find inspiration for your work?
The underlying subject matter for my paintings is a collection of basic elements that arise from a primitive essence I sometimes sense. I envisage patterns and forms; I draw; I layer. I find. Inspiration comes from this source that feels collective and connected in an elemental tribal way.
What is your creative process like nowadays? Do you have any particular routine?
I work all the time.
The Secret Chamber, Acrylic and mixed media, 30x40 inch, 2023 © Noelle Kalom
What do you hope that the public takes away from your work?
All I seek is connection. Artist residencies are an invaluable experience for growing as an artist and connecting with other artists.
What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future in terms of new projects?
The paintings remain unplanned and intuitive. I am constantly surprised by the sense of continuity that emerges from one work to another, despite the fresh relationship I feel is being made every time. If I am looking for anything, it is a revelation. I suppose I am returning to the female energy, whether it is in the curves and shapes of the female body or on an energetic level.
Finally, share something you would like the world to know about you.
I believe in magic.
Artist’s Talk
Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.
