Nichole Gronvold Roller : Above Ground

From November 13th to December 28th, BoxHeart Gallery is proud to present Nichole Gronvold Roller: Above Ground on exhibit in our main gallery. Roller constructs imaginary spaces; specifically, ambiguous spaces that possess unpredictable gravity or no gravity at all. A means to organize the sensations of both actual and emotional interpretation of place, Roller’s paintings are representational of her thoughts and describe the vivid energy of her invented worlds.

Organized by Nicole Capozzi and Joshua Hogan, owners of BoxHeart Gallery, Nichole Gronvold Roller: Above Ground explores structures and systems in chaos. Her paintings manipulate the rules of perspective by twisting and distorting the invented spaces she creates, resulting in new discoveries of place and space.

Inspired by the innovation of materials, needs of society, and geographical and cultural influences of architectural design, Roller’s paintings incorporate deconstructed architectural elements to disorient the invented spaces she strives to create. She experiments with a variety of materials and processes while painting to aid in her portrayal of active movement.

Roller's attention to text and image has evolved through the influence of map making, autobiographical automatism, journaling, and research. Roller's attraction to incorporating text is employed for both the natural texture of overlapping lines and the intimacy that handwriting provides. Roller cuts or slices sections of her writings; encouraging the observer to fit the pieces back together, urging a closer look at the underlying layers found within her art.

Most recently, Roller has been working with shaped canvases to further emphasize active movement in her paintings. When combined with her use of vortexes, fragmentation of planes, and energy pathways, space is energized. She finds it liberating to move beyond the rectangular or square format of a traditional canvas. The design of her shaped canvases informs her painting process – a response to the outer edge and shape of her painting surface.

Roller graduated from Minnesota State University of Moorhead with a BFA in Art Education in 1997 and received her MA in Art Education from Boston University in 2013. Also a full-time high school art teacher in Tremont IL, Roller has been teaching art for the past seventeen years. Recent major exhibitions include, "Jefferson Street Studio and Gallery Featured Artists" Jefferson Street Studio and Gallery, Morton, IL (2016), "Dialogues" Transpace; Illinois State University, Bloomington, IL (2016), "To Sum Degree" The Hud Gallery + Studios with Dab Art, Ventura, CA (2016), "Mix it Up" Royal Contemporary, Florence, CO (2016), "Map it Out" Blue Line Arts, Roseville, CA (2016), and "Annual Abstract Catalyst Exhibition" Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, Portland, OR. Her art has been featured in art publications in the Inside Publications (Sacramento, CA); Peoria Journal Star (Peoria, IL); Utrecht (Brooklyn, NY); Dick Blick (Galesburg, IL); Boston University Online Galleries (Boston, MA); artKudos International Competition and Exhibition, and the 12th Edition Encyclopedia of Living Artists.

Reception with the Artist

Nichole Gronvold Roller: Above Ground will be on exhibit from November 13th through December 28th in BoxHeart’s main gallery. The exhibition coincides with our 2nd-floor gallery exhibit, Chris McGinnis. The reception with the artists will be held Saturday, November 17th from 5 - 8 pm.