Justin Aversano & Nicole Buffett

Justin Aversano is an artist and curator working within the New York City and Los Angeles art scene. Nicole Buffett is an artist, activist and holistic healer. Aversano & Buffett invited Diana Sinclair to TIMEPieces.

 

Artist Statement

Title: Mother Tree

We chose to create the Mother Tree image with the intention to exalt in this symbiotic relationship we have with the tree and our breath of life itself. This collaborative piece aims to acknowledge the primary, crucial and too often overlooked relationship and reliance upon trees for our very existence. The Mother Tree feeds all of life above and below. Above, all creatures of the sky, butterflies, flocks of migrating birds and four legged friends take sanctuary in her safe branches uplifting, protecting and feeding them. From below, her roots reach out to sense and find what the other trees and multitude life forms in her realm need to be nourished. Her mycorrhizae, flora, fauna and colonies of organic growth rely upon her root system to alchemize the Earth and make available an abundance of nutrition, healing and safe harbor. As humans living in the city of Los Angeles, this tree, just like so many around us, gives and lives so richly, so freely, despite impending pollution and disregard. We wanted to celebrate our chosen one of many Mother Trees and articulate her energy of cosmic wonder and magic so that SHE can be safe, seen and celebrated.

 

About the Artists

Justin Aversano has organized a number of shows in NYC and LA, as well as public art exhibitions around the country. Justin is the co-founder and creative director of SaveArtSpace, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing community art to public spaces. A humanist and a social entrepreneur, Justin connects his art with the world around him through capturing moments, faces, and communities that surround him, bringing them together through the lens of his camera.

Nicole Buffett received her MFA from The San Francisco Art Institute with a focus on mixed media painting and has exhibited in national and international galleries since 2004. In addition to her current residency at Infinite Acres, she was awarded an artist residency at the JB Blunk residency program and the Djerassi Residency Program in Northern California. Nicole’s art is deeply connected to the earth and often incorporates natural pigment and soil into her pieces. She is curating a pigment garden at Infinite Acres, and cultivating opportunities for dynamic seasonality and sun-generated plant compounds to inform and bloom within her work. Nicole is deeply committed to the healing aspects of art and the ways in which regenerative agriculture, community and art intersect.

@justinaversano | @nicolebuffettart | www.justinaversano.com | www.nicolebuffett.com

View on OpenSea here.

Contact us at letters@time.com.