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A truly Southern Californian art form
Nicholas Mirandon
What could be more typically Southern California than the surf, sand, sunsets over the ocean, waves, ocean spray, wind, surfboards and maybe even a green flash at sunset? Nicholas Mirandon has captured the essence of our beach environment in the unique art form of resin painting.
The paintings are made using custom formulated resin-based paint. Resin is a natural or synthetic compound which begins in a highly viscous state and hardens with treatment.
Think pine sap, which is a natural resin. Most artists have avoided the resin-based paints due to their complexity and unpredictability. Working with this difficult material has been honed over the decades.
The artist must add pigments to the resin as well as hardeners. Nicholas sometimes adds materials to “pearlize” the paint. The transparent and luminous colors inherent in resin are enhanced so that his works capture the light, shadows and movement of the environment.
“I apply the paint to a stiff board because a canvas would not provide enough support,” he said.
A coat of white or black paint may be applied first as a base and then he proceeds to create his painting.
When the painting is complete, he brushes a clear coat and finally sands and polishes the work. The edges of the board are painted too, which adds to the feeling of depth in the finished work. When talking about his work, Nicholas added that, “the closest art form to my resin painting is stained glass--with its colors and its translucent glass.”
Nicholas grew up in La Jolla in the 1950s. As an outstanding athlete, he began to surf. The photo shows Nicholas surfing Black’s Beach in 1965 which, at the time, was a new venue for surfing in La Jolla. He and his brother, Bear, eventually started building their own surfboards in the ‘60s.
Eye of God Nebula
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They created the brand, Surfboards La Jolla in Del Mar, and designed progressive split tail boards with two fins in 1966. Nicholas said, “We didn’t invent the twin fin but our work was a step in the development of the surfboard.”
While creating color resin graphics and designs on the surfboards, he began to envision using resin as a fine-art medium and created his first resin painting in 1967.
After 10 years of resin painting, Nicholas began to show his work nationwide. Nicholas lives in Del Mar and is active in the art scene in La Jolla and nationally. He will be showing some of his work at the La Jolla Festival of Arts in June. The event is juried to ensure a creative and artistic event of high quality. His art is in corporate collections, galleries, collections, and public art spaces.
Most of his family are living and working in San Diego. His son, Eli, is an accomplished surfer and also designs, shapes, and colors boards in a variety of classic and modern surfing designs with his brother, Croyde. One daughter, Shawnie, is also participating in this month’s La Jolla Festival of Art while his other daughter, Tasha, is a graphic artist.
Nicholas’ life has at least two distinct spheres of influence: the surfing world where he is known as “Nick” and the art world where he is known as “Nicholas.” The intersections of these two spheres reflect his passion for both.
Nicholas Mirandon
(858) 204-7005
Email: ResinPaintingsPhotos@hotmail.com
Website: www.mirandon.com
Volcano Flow
Journey West
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