Nic Farley

Artist Statement

My work explores the tension between preservation and change, and how memory moves through an evolving world. Working in painting, printmaking, and mixed media, I draw from the quiet resilience of rural life and the stories embedded in landscapes, objects, and cultural symbols. I’m interested in how the past shapes identity and place, and what gets remembered, forgotten, or
reimagined over time.

Much of my work sits at a crossroads where the mythology of the American West meets the lived reality of rural Appalachia. Cowboys, cowgirls, outlaws, quilt patterns, roadside signs, and weathered surfaces appear throughout my work as fragments of cultural memory. These images have been repeated, romanticized, and reshaped across generations.

The surfaces in my work often echo the worn textures of small towns: layered posters, faded signage, patched textiles, and objects shaped by use. I think of these surfaces as archives where stories accumulate rather than disappear. Through this work, I’m exploring how regional identity forms through imagery, labor, and storytelling, and how the visual languages of the West and Appalachia continue to shape the way we understand place and history.