Interview

Nov 9

Nicholas Ambriz

Nicholas attended and graduated from Fresno State University with a degree in Fine Art. During this period, he was entering art shows. He is a reemerging artist, trying to get reestablished and share his art with anyone who cares to look. He studied, primarily under the direction of Terry Allen.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“In high school, I dedicated two years studying architecture, drawing plans for each phase of construction of a house. In junior college, I did machine drafting, doing half-section exploding drawings of machinery, and hard contrast of black and white ink drawings. At Fresno State University, I continued with casting shadows over different structures and surfaces by mathematical precision increasing perspectives. I used colored papers in different colors to construct structures and shadows. I realized I wanted to draw what I wanted to but I didn’t have a clue to what that was. When I started my junior year over with a fine art major, I had a good rush starting over and went to all my classes and really got into school for the first time! I had a hard time breaking away from straight lines and hard angles because of commercial work and coming up with a concept. Even before going to Fresno, I sold imported marijuana to support my self and I was a natural at it, never smoked cigarettes or drank. It allowed me time to explore with experimental classes that didn’t go towards school credits, but I still use things I learned from these classes. Other students’ parents paid for their classes and couldn’t indulge in things like that. I was also able to fully immerse myself in that lifestyle while going to school. At this time, marijuana was a major felony with severe prison time for just smoking, let a lone dealing the product. Marijuana also gave me my concept for my art plus the financial freedom and enjoyment and helped my creativity. So, I started showing my lifestyle of my everyday life. When I made a marijuana deal with friends, I took pictures then I painted and drew that. My friends got used to me with camera while doing illegal actions. So, I showed slight profiles and just body parts to keep my friends safe. This was my world I shared with my friends who thought and lived like me. I was a marijuana dispensary keeping the flow going until it became legal.
In 1979, I went to London and stayed with cousins and went to the National gallery. I saw Monet’s water lilies which I tried to illuminate in my photography with blocks of color and my horizontal and vertical lines. I saw Seurat and Toulouse’s work which influenced me and gave me inspiration to continue working no matter what. For the last three years, I have gotten into photography at first to help with my oil paintings but I realized I couldn’t paint what I was capturing with camera. I went into the delta in San Joaquin valley pure country farming area. I would lay planks and lay on them across small irrigation ditch’s to get the angles I wanted. Then, I got a small kayak to navigate small to large irrigation ditch’s and small rivers, found great colors and structure. I use my horizontal and vertical lines to build my composition along with blocks of color juxtaposition to each other. At first, I used to fight the current but realized if I set myself in the right direction and flowed with current I got a 360 degree panoramic view. By moving my head and hands quickly and cropping, I got a balance composition with with wild colors. I feel like I am painting or drawing with my black and white photography. I feel my old work influences my photography. Showing my early work was difficult because of subject matter was still illegal in mainstream America.”

Which artists influence you most?

“In the mid 1970’s, I found William Homer’ s book “ Seurat and the Science of Painting “ this became my textbook for mastering color theory and creating balance compositions. It also fed me inspiration of French impressionist with Seurat and Toulouse Latruec as my main artist, Seurat for color theory and Toulouse for his black and white drawings and his lifestyle due to his deformity and his family’s rejection.”

What is your creative process like?

“My paintings are done on hardwood with 13 coats of gesso then I sand down finished with wet sanding comes out like marble finish learning from 14 century Italians. I draw on BFK paper.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“Artist should show what they believe in and what they see and how they live their lives.”

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“I did get into two shows in Lodi California showing marijuana subject matter in 1979 and 1980. Then in 1980 until 1982, I got in Crocker Kingsley Exhibition which is biggest Northern California show, first artist to get in three years in a row. A Dutch magazine in November 2015 wrote and showed a painting of early marijuana work. Then, I was in a photography show in New York at Agora Gallery in June 2023, since then AATONAU art forum did a article on me in August 2023.”