Norma Wolff Artist Statement

Although most of my paintings are abstract, I draw upon my life experiences as artist, anthropologist, and observer of life for subject matter. Over the past forty years I have done anthropological research in West Africa that focuses upon continuity and change in indigenous and contemporary arts and religion, as well as indigenous medicine. From my first trip to Nigeria in the mid-1960s, I have loved the colors and dynamics of everyday life which provide endless varieties of subject matter for the artist.

I work in several mediums: watercolor, acrylics, wax pastel and ink. I have experimented with and developed a wax crayon and ink technique to develop a new level of expression for myself, and recently I have been combining all of the above media into colorful and complex mixed media abstracts.