Quin De La Mer

California, United States •

Artist (Painting, Photography) •

Born unknown date •

"Employing abstract expressionism to convey emotional truths, I create art inspired by beauty bleeding through the scars humans leave in their wake.

Intimately, I am deeply moved by emotions that arise while experiencing beauty, wonder, mystery, awe, and the sublime. On the global scale, I make work about intolerable emotions I feel in response to the formations that arise out of collective agreements.

As a nomadic artist, I travel to explore our world and connect with more than human residents as they communicate their experience of the Anthropocene. Paying close attention to the unseen but often felt forces that exist beside us in time, I bond with place and collaborate with the natural world. For example, cyanotypes are made on site with water and debris where currents, wind, and natural light are the hands that guide the image as it comes into being. With sustainability in mind, I collect soil, rocks, charcoal, and found objects to make pigments for oil paintings.

My practice begins with ideas and then moves to the appropriate form or media for that idea. Crossing media boundaries, inventing new methodologies and technologies, and creating hybrid art forms are regular parts of my process."

Quin de la Mer, an American artist born in 1966, has gained renown for their abstract artwork that utilizes found pigments and plant matter. Through extensive travels and connections made with more-than-human beings, de la Mer sources these materials to create a diverse collection of art ranging from large oil paintings measuring 5 feet high and 15 feet wide to tiny cyanotype prints measuring only 1x1 inch.

The work of de la Mer invites contemplation and promotes deeper examination. Notably, the artist has been recognized for pioneering new techniques in brush strokes and mark-making, resulting in highly textured artwork despite its flatness. Upon closer inspection, the viewer may notice the subtle aroma of spike oil of lavender, which replaces traditional turpentine in the creation of the artwork.