Deneane Niebergall

Artist Statement:

I am interested in making sensory, evocative paintings. Guided by instinct and sensation I explore the language of color, its formal and emotional qualities. Irresistibly drawn to the luscious physicality of the paint, I employ a super-saturated palette, smooth glossy texture and fluid movement wherein the formal elements yield to the sensuous nature of the composition.
 
The work is process driven, a tricky balance of intention versus chance. It is an experiment in mark-making: between the unpredictable behavior of the materials and the idiosyncrasies of my gesture. The nature of the medium necessitates all decisions be made in the moment.  Through a spontaneous application, I puddle, pour and flow the loopy swirls, pools, drips and strands of color across a flat surface. Continuing the investigation, I wait to see if and how the paint will respond.
 
These pieces are simultaneously awkward and alluring, imprecise and slick. In them, I seek to create an ambiguous situation where familiar yet elusive biomorphic forms both imply and defy a narrative. And so, allowing a space for the work to continue unfolding beyond the initial visceral experience.

Artist Deneane Niebergall, originally from New York, currently lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her MFA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2001. Her work is abstract and process based; media has ranged from oil and beeswax on canvas, to ink, to poured acrylic on panel currently. She has exhibited in numerous group and solo shows at venues including: SFMOMA, The Luggage Store, LIMN Gallery, and Chandra Cerrito Contemporary. Honors include: an affiliate artist residency at Headlands Center for the Arts from 2002-2004, as well as a SECA award nomination in 2004. Her work has been featured in publications such as: Artweek, New American Paintings, and East Bay Express. Collections include Microsoft, Wired Magazine and Neiman Marcus. Deneane’s paintings have also been reproduced into limited edition hand made Nepalese carpets available thru LIMN Rugs Collection.

Deneane was recently commissioned by Neiman Marcus to create 112 small paintings for their permanent collection. The installation "Supranatural 112" can be seen on the second floor of the new Walnut Creek store.