Nicky Liebenberg, Cloudscape (Sepia), Drypoint Intaglio, 39.5 x 55.5cm, Variable edition of 8, 2025, Framed
Graphic media of drawing & printmaking are the primary methods used as my
process, sometimes incorporating mixed media such as collage & chine-collé. There
is a strong emphasis on drawing/ mark-making as an expressive medium. Art-
making is a way to deal with life’s issues, a means of processing and making sense
of things. A cathartic practice. The relationship between the (natural/seen) and
metaphysical (spiritual/unseen) recur thematically throughout the work. In a broader
sense, the relationship/ connection between spouses (marriage) and the human/
Divine or God-connection. It is an exploration of the interplay between these and
what happens in ‘the space between’. My art-making process is a visualization of the
internal; external, the micro; macro. It is simultaneously personal and ethereal.
This duality is a recurring theme throughout the work depicted in differing
colour, layers, and/or twin, mirroring images.
Areas of inspiration include nature, anatomy; the metaphysical, i.e. the branch of
philosophy that deals with the first principle of things, including abstract concepts
such as being, knowing, identity, time, space, as well as the ontological, or the
science of being. I endeavour to push perceived boundaries, to experiment and try
new things with printmaking as a medium that has endless possibilities and
variations. the challenge being in finding that perfect, workable equilibrium between
what is established and what is new and fresh.