Welcome to Culture Connection

Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District's newsletter,
featuring the events, stories, and people of our community

Saturday, September 27
Doors 8:30am | Symposium 9:00am - 4:00pm

Calling all artists, aspiring creative professionals, and creative entrepreneurs!

The Business of Art is our annual day-long opportunity for professional development that focuses exclusively on the creative industries.

Enjoy a chance to learn from leaders and innovators in the creative industries across arts disciplines what it takes to have a successful and sustainable career in the arts.

This year's keynote speaker is Danielle Brazell, Executive Director at California Arts Council. Since her appointment in 2023 Brazell has led California Arts Council with vision and a deep commitment to positioning the arts as vital civic infrastructure that drives equity, belonging, health, and economic opportunity state‑wide.

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned professional, The Business of Art has something for you!

GVNC: At what point in your life did you realize your calling?

Onyx: I started making art as a very young girl and studied art all through school, college and a Fine arts degree at university in London. I became a painter and a muralist during my early twenties, and a hand tattooer at 26. I traveled for a decade before moving to California at 33. Upon finding a home base, I was able to deep dive into the basket of inspiration that had been accumulating over years of world travel wanderings, and started to create the first of three painting collections. 

GVNC: Tell us about your creative process.

Onyx: I am mostly inspired by plants, animals and cultural places like temples and gardens. I like to take photographs and collect artifacts when I travel and adventure, and often a collection begins to seed and I start to see patterns and a repeating passion for a subject or an idea. Once the vision and name of the concept becomes clear, I like to sketch around twenty pieces that develop into the paintings. I start with finding the boards and draw on to them and paint in multiple layers that become more and more detailed and textured. 

My tattoo process is more defined by very specific guided custom commissioned work and is much more restrictive and channeled in that way. I love to draw by hand, and make all of my tattoo instruments by hand, and prepare pieces that are fully developed alongside my clients.

The two different processes are fascinating to me and deeply fulfilling in very different ways.

GVNC: What inspires you?

Onyx: World travel, animals, plants, patterns, ancient structures and tribal creations, handmade artifacts and magical spaces inspire my work. I am fascinated by psychedelic patterns, colors and visions, and spend a lot of time in museums, botanical gardens, temples and tropical places when I travel or adventure. 

GVNC: What are you most proud of?

Onyx: Before moving to Nevada City, I spent a decade as a traveling hand tattooer, learning how to create custom work for hundreds of people in a way that is very different to painting from a liberated heart and soul. 

The experience of grounding and staying in one place here, allowed me to experience the expansiveness of creative expression and explore many different avenues outside of just tattooing and the space opened up to be able to paint again.

I feel accomplished with the three painting collections, “Temples”, “Totems” and “Gardens at Night” that have been created over the last decade. These paintings feel mature, evolved, resolved, elevated and timeless - which has honestly taken many years to achieve. As an artist for most of my life, the experience of painting with such freedom of expression, and bold adventure, has been thrilling and wildly gratifying. 

GVNC: What do you love best about our creative community?

Onyx: I love the freedom and acceptance here, where individuals are comfortable to be their own unique expressive selves. I also love the open minded, exploratory nature of the people here. The community here is international and well traveled. There are many “medicine” people who are bravely exploring their inner beings and dreams, and also many people who celebrate music, dance and festival culture. There is a really special sense of passionate creative expression here that I love, especially around our town holidays like Halloween and Victorian Christmas, and around imaginative themed gatherings that encourage everyone to explore their own artistry.

GVNC: Name two Nevada county artists you admire and why.

Onyx: Ron Jermyn. He is an incredible bronze sculptor. I love his flowing forms and color treatment of his Bronze works. I visited him last summer during the Open Studios and really enjoyed his collection for viewing in his garden.

Antonio (AJ) who is an incredible visuals digital artist. His work is psychedelic, colorful and playful with symmetry and fractal like pattern work, lasers and lights. 

GVNC: What’s coming up for you?

Onyx: I am working to complete 4 larger paintings for which I intend to submit for some larger art shows like Art Basel and Frieze. In the next year my fiancé and I will build a larger art studio for me to paint in. I currently have a beautiful Tattoo space and need a more focused and organized painting studio outside of the house!

Contact the artist via email at soraonyx@gmail.com, visit their website wildarising.org, and make sure to follow them on Instagram @wild_arising