Before I dashed off to Europe last June, I was able to spend some quality studio (and coffee) time with my dear friend and creative artist, Kristina Nobleman.
Kristina’s studio is nestled amongst a compound of rustic and charming artist studios.
Her space is full of light because of the enormous south facing barn door that open onto a large field and vineyards.
It was the height of summer in Sonoma, California, when I paid a visit. The studio is tucked away on a country road just outside of downtown Sonoma and also offers mountain views to the west. I’m not sure I would get much work done here. I would be too busy staring at the beautiful scenery.
But the space lends itself well to making large artwork and is a beautiful setting for photographing it. I met Kristina in a monoprint class with Heather Wilcoxon at the Sonoma Community Center in 2019. We both came with our respective textiles to experiment with and it was kismet from the start. We both knew of each other through Instagram but had no idea that either would be in the class. We had so much fun pushing each other to try new ideas and a friendship was quickly born.
Kristina’s practice is process based and experimental. What makes her work really stand out are the manipulative process with her materials and scale. She starts with a delicate and fabric-like Japanese paper that comes in enormous rolls.
Using traditional textile techniques such as stitching, shibori wrinkling, binding and folding, Kristina then manipulates the paper into various forms, letting the process dictate the shape of each piece.
The process is very physical and often results in surprise outcomes that inform future work. She then runs the manipulated paper through a huge monoprint press at In Cahoots Residency the next town over in Petaluma.
The resulting work is moody, delicate and ethereal. You’re often left pondering just what happened in the process to make this or that mark or shape.
Kristina’s studio shelves are filled with a collection of jars filled with natural dye material like orange peels and flower petals.
Her brush collection hanging over her work sink hints at the large scale and broad gestural marks she makes to achieve each piece.
Below you can see some of the ways the paper is manipulated, with threadwork, string pulling and crumpling.
Kristina’s exhibitions often include three dimensional pieces that interact with the prints. This rock weight is a piece from a solo show at the Rasmussen Gallery in Angwin in 2023. These rocks are often site specific.
They’re also functional because one of the things that a photo can’t capture is the lightness of these paper pieces. They often flutter with the slightest breeze, which I tried to capture below.
The rock and weights are used in her studio to secure the pieces.
Besides having lots of large table and wall space to make work, the studio is a great place for thinking, observing and seeking inspiration.
I love this small collection of considered objects, each one has a lovely meaning behind it.
And when Kristina needs a well deserved break, this is the view she enjoys. I’m envious here in the Netherlands where we’re not even in the depths of winter yet and it’s already cold, dark and wet! Well, I did say I missed rain before I moved!
Check out Kristina’s work on her website and Instagram. Her work is currently in several shows including True North at the di Rosa in Napa, Outside In at the Alley Gallery in Sonoma and Material Resonance at Kriste Michelini. Thanks Kristina, for the lovely tour. I remember our last coffee date in Sonoma the day before we left, I’ll miss those!
Thanks for sharing the beauty of her work and space. I can imagine your conversations about materials and process!
It does not get much better: Kristina in her element as seen through the eyes of a very perceptive and discerning artist. Pure pleasure. 👏🏼👏🏼