Charlotte artist with Swiss and Jersey roots
Nicole Schoepflin
At HEARTS' inaugural art exhibit held in Cedar Grove’s Center Hall on May 14, 2022, “Nature Through the Artist’s Eye,” Schoepflin’s works were featured on the east wall, with with the classical landscape paintings of Tony Griffin’s on the west wall. Schoepflin’s juxtaposed natural items and found object assemblages offered insight and humor through their haunting whimsy and visual poetry.
Artist Statement:
My love of nature runs deep.
As a child, Mother Nature was my closest friend, teacher and constant source of inspiration. Growing up in rural New Jersey, I was always outside exploring and studying the natural world around me. I foraged and collected natural treasures along the way (sticks impersonating snakes, bones, feathers and insect wings). I painted with mud and berries, made moss gardens, and built child-sized bird nests in trees so I could perch in them.
Being alone in nature is where I find peace. It is where I return to time and time again, to heal, recharge, and remember who I am. As humans live in our human-made world, many of us have become disconnected from nature. My collection of assemblage art explores my life-long connection with the natural world, and is a reminder that all humans are part of nature, no matter how hard they try to control or separate themselves from it.
About Nicole Schoepflin:
Nicole Schoepflin has been creating art her entire life, mostly with found objects. She began her studies in Basel, Switzerland by completing the “Schule für Gestaltung VorKurs” at the Basel School of Design. She then earned her Bachelor of Creative Arts degree at UNCC. 30 years later, a second bachelor’s degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences influenced her work in profound ways, changing her primary focus to nature-based work.
Through her assemblage work, Nicole explores the mysteries of the natural world, and the connections humans have to that world.
In the late 1990's, she was a founding member and organizer of the award-winning art event series in Charlotte called Vision Explosion. Each of the nine shows combined installation work, music, performance art, painting, drawing, sculpture and photography. In 2018, Nicole became a founding member of Conversations with Nature, an art collective showcasing art that embraces our natural world.
Nicole has exhibited her work at Vision Explosion events, Conversations with Nature shows, ArtFields, the North Carolina Botanical Garden, Hart Witzen Gallery, Goodyear Arts, and the C3 Lab.
Nicole lives in East Charlotte with her 28 rescue cats, 1 rescue dog, and her wonderful, patient boyfriend of over 20 years.
Photos courtesy of Jim McGuire.