Molly Nagel
Painting and Sculpture
Freqently Asked Questions
01
How do I take care of my painted stepping stone?
The stones are fairly easy to care for and will remain beautiful for many years with proper care. Avoid extreme changes in temperature, as this will weaken the concrete, so bring them indoors in cold weather and avoid placing them near a heat source like a fireplace. It's fine for them to be outdoors but do try to keep them out of strong, direct sunlight, as prolonged exposure will cause the paint to fade. If they become dirty they can be cleaned with a damp soft cloth. The stones are sealed with a high quality clear protective coating, but repeated abrasion will still damage the painting, so do not use the stone in a way where it will be repeatedly stepped on.
02
My stepping stone/painting/other artwork is damaged, can you please repair it?
Under most circumstances I offer free touch up and repair work for all of my work, so if it gets scuffed, scratched or faded, contact me and I will make arrangments with you to repair the damage. However, I cannot repair completely broken concrete stones or very seriously damaged canvases or painted panels. Under these circumstances, where the object may be considered destroyed rather than damaged, I may be able to offer replacement at a discount depending on the circumstances surrounding the artwork's unfortunate demise.
I do create some work with materials that are highly experiemental, and while I enjoy the freedom of innovating with these materials and try hard to research their qualities and determine the best construction methods, I don't always know how they will act over time. If you are the purchaser of such a work that becomes damaged, and I determine that the damage to the work is caused by a fundamental flaw in it's construction or materials, I will work with you to repair or replace the work at no charge.
03
I have a project in mind that I'd like you to work on, but I don't see anything quite like it on your website. Would you consider doing other kinds of work?
I'm always up for new ideas! I've always prided myself on being first and foremost a creative person, not necessarily tied down to any one material or means of expression. So unless your idea involves some seriously ethically dubious elements, by all means contact me and I'll at least hear what you have to say. I will say that I genuinely miss being involved in theatre and performance, and enjoy the idea of large scale work and installations, so if you have anything of that nature in mind, yes, absolutely, let's talk!
04
Your thesis work looks interesting, do you have any writing for it?
The MFA Thesis requirement at Iowa State University does require both a creative component
(a show of physical artwork) and a written component (the more traditional research-based thesis you're probably more familiar with) for the completion of the MFA in Integrated Visual Arts.
If you feel so inclined to dig into all 40+ pages of it, here it is in convenient .pdf form!