We are all sacred geometry. The truth of that belief was confirmed for mixed-media encaustic artist Nichole DeMent in a vision years ago. Today, some of the details have faded, but what she does remember is a figure surrounded by an undulating aura of sacred geometry symbols: the circle, icosahedron, Metatron’s Cube, and more. These ancient forms, believed by some to be the building blocks of the universe, are layered into DeMent’s artwork—sometimes in form, other times in spirit—giving viewers a deeper glimpse into humanity’s hidden connection to the cosmos.
In her large-scale painting Jupiter, a white horse gallops from and to some unknown place, black specks of dust scattered by its hooves. The horse symbolizes strength, freedom, and good fortune in many cultures. In Mongolian Shamanistic beliefs, horses transport Shamans between the physical and spiritual worlds during rituals and carry messages and blessings back from the spiritual realm. In Jupiter, the white horse seems to represent birth and life while the dark dust embodies the chaos and mystery of the cosmos. Together, they illustrate the journey each living being must take, to life, then death — coming from and returning to nothingness.
The human and non-human figures featured in her work are “collaborators” or “co-creators,” terms DeMent prefers to the word ‘model.’
“I don't like to use the word model because it's there's an association that it's me doing something to them,” said DeMent. “But really, we're coming together. I mean, all models are really providing a lot of input and inspiration. So, it's not just me. But anyway, there are co-creators. So, I really want to know. I want to go under the surface of what or who they are. My work is about the soul of things, really. It's not a portrait, for instance, but a deeper element of their psyche.”
DeMent, who has a BA in Fine Art Photography from The Evergreen State College, typically begins each artwork with a photograph as the foundation. She then applies layers of encaustic materials such as beeswax, resin, and pigment, along with an assortment of organic elements such as tea and rust. Most of the photography in her work are originals shot by DeMent herself.
“If I want to include animal faces in my work, then I go to the zoo,” DeMent said. “I've done a lot of animal photos at the zoo because I want to include that. It's part of my process. If I absolutely am driven, if I have received guidance through my spirit and through my process to put some kind of animal in there, and I just can't capture it, and I really need to do that, then I'll try and find something.”
When photography first emerged in the 19th century, many people believed that photographs held a piece of a person’s spirit or essence; and some, like the ‘spirit photographer’ Georgiana Houghton, believed that photography could also capture the likeness of a person’s dead loved ones. In the context of DeMent’s work, the tradition of capturing a living being’s essence is carried on through both photography and mixed media.
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