My Moment with Dominique Nahas

Dominique Nahas: What a Guy!

Dominique was kind enough to visit my studio on Friday, during his visit, and he certainly floored me with both his admiration of my work, and his admiration of my concepts and future plans! He emphasized that I was managing to carefully "walk the middle" of the treacherous art path that he'd spoken of during his lecture in Bayou 1. His speech, touching on subjects such as alchemy and ying-yang principles, was insightful, to say the least. These concepts are truths I've held for many years, having studied them in my youth. It was nice to see these principles applied to fine art in such a way. This was enough art 'food' to keep me fed for weeks. But then his visit to my studio was even more manna from heaven. At first, I stood in silence as he viewed my work. After a few minutes, he took a deep breath, and said "Wow!" Then he turned and smiled at me, making sure I knew that he approved. He pointed out how I was touching on paleontological ideas, evolution, and nature, without me even saying a word. He was fascinated with the idea of non-living beings, made of artificial materials, represented in a 3D manifestation, and giving a "feast for the eyes", as he stated. We talked about my choice of color, and how "correct" it was for these strange creations. He then asked me what they were. I explained that they were whatever the viewer wanted them to be. He laughed, and said "Good answer!" We went on to talk about why I've chosen to include wall pieces as well as floor pieces. I explained why I preferred to present them that way, and he agreed, saying it was a dramatically interesting way to display them. We chatted for what seemed like hours, even though it was, in reality, only a few minutes. I'm not sure if he felt he needed to bolster my ego, or if he was genuinely sincere, but it certainly felt as if it was the latter, and that the former never even crossed his mind. He spent a good 30-40 minutes with me (which was ok, because I was the last studio visit of the day for him,) talking about artists he'd known who had maybe tried a similar line of thought, but had failed for one reason or another. We talked about some of the famous artists he'd met, and some of the exchanges he'd had with them. He is seriously charismatic. I could listen to him speak all day long! A true font of knowledge and experience. He genuinely captivated me during the short time I spent with him. Even later that evening, at the Leslie Lerner opening at Allyn Gallup Gallery, his words about his memories of Leslie were a continuation of inspiration that touched emotionally, spiritually, and deeply in ways I can't explain. He gave me his card and contact info, and even invited me to stop by his offices if I ever make it to New York! I felt truly blessed to have had an opportunity to meet with such a great, genuine, kind, sweet, wise, and compassionate man. This was one of the highlights of my career that I will never forget. I owe a debt of gratitude to whomever managed to bring him here. I am still running on his inspirational message, even today, and will likely continue to do so for some time to come.