There are buffalo nickels and Buffalo wings. There are buffalo on the prairie, and people have been known to attempt to
"buffalo" you.

In upper New York State, there is even a city called Buffalo. And it is there that Ridgefield native Brian Nesline is making his artistic mark with "Faces of Buffalo," a concept he would one day like to bring back to his home town.

"Faces of Buffalo is a series of mosaics that depict different images that represent Buffalo, N.Y.," Nesline explained. "The tile pieces are made up of self-portraits done by people in the community on paper with crayons and markers." Then the tiles are laid together with the image of, yes, a buffalo or a bridge or a landmark building found in the city.

For three years now, Nesline has set up booths at community events, company picnics and any gathering around Buffalo that brings a crowd during the summer months. With mirrors, paper and crayons and markers laid out, he has invited people to put aside any judgment calls on their artistic abilities and to draw a self-portrait. "The first self-portraits I got were from two homeless men on the street near my house," Nesline noted. "Since then, I've gotten thousands of portraits to work with. Some are cartoon-like, some are abstract. Some are realistic. They come from artists and non-artists alike."

For Nesline, "Faces of Buffalo" is about getting people to participate in their community. It is a way to celebrate the creative voice of each participant and the creativity of the city as a whole.
The mosaics created have been reproduced on greeting cards for sale as fund-raisers for local schools and not-for-profit organizations. They are also available as large posters. "I'm Christian and my faith in Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of my life," Nesline said. "I prayed to Him to become an artist and in response, God is turning everyone in Buffalo into an artist. It's a joy I hope to share in other cities."

At 35, Nesline has just received his bachelors degree in graphic art. He tried working in marketing and sales in his 20s, but found himself continually drawn back to expressing his artistic talent. He sees those early years in sales as combining with his artistic nature to bring him to the degree he holds today.
Each year that he has created mosaics for "Faces of Buffalo" Nesline has asked those drawing self-portraits to answer two questions. Last year, the questions were to cite two things you love about Buffalo and to cite the best thing that anyone has ever done for you. This year, he is asking "If you had three wishes, what would they be?" "Without a doubt, I see a book coming out of this experience," Nesline said. "Filled with the mosaics and individual close-ups of tiles, it would also include the answers given to the questions asked."

For Nesline, finding his creative outlet has been finding his bliss.
He remembers fondly growing up in Ridgefield: living on Lime Kiln Road; attending Farmingville Elementary School; painting block images at that school as a boy. In 1985, he graduated from Ridgefield High School and took into the world with him memories of art projects he had done with his sister, Holly. His childhood was a happy one."Since I was a kid, I would draw with my sister, Holly, and it was her love and encouragement around art that made me want to create art as a living," Nesline said. "That love that surrounds you when you are little is the seed that develops into your bliss in your adult life."

Becoming a graphic designer and sharing his art with his fiancee and the other residents of Buffalo has allowed that bliss to grow, Nesline said.
He hopes to take that joy and share it with others throughout the country, creating mosaic collections of their faces, their worlds. Who knows, he said, maybe one day he'll be asked to come home and create "Faces of Ridgefield."
Nesline can be reached at a link through www.facesofbuffalo.com.