Passionate about drawing and painting from an early age, Nichola has dedicated herself from her A-levels onwards to pursuing a career in art.
After a gap year travelling through Africa, Nichola studied at Charles H. Cecil Studios, Florence, Italy where she was able to develop her painting skills. She spent two and a half years learning the classical techniques of drawing and painting and understanding the importance of working from life. She was taught the Atelier Method, which is a “sight size” approach, used in portraiture and life studies. This method can be traced back to the Old Masters, ultimately to the works of Leonardo da Vinci and this method is at the basis of much of her work.
In December 2003 she left Florence and returned home eager to pursue a career in painting. The intensive training received in Florence and inspiration derived from the works of John Singer Sargent, John-William Waterhouse, George Stubbs and Alfred J Munnings have contributed to her unique style. Since returning to England she has enjoyed producing a great variety of work, although horses and portraiture have become her principal subject matter.
Nichola has been awarded commissions to paint well-known horses such as Sadler's Wells for Mr and Mrs John Magnier, Lion Heart for Mr Derick Smith and Motivator. She is also regularly commissioned to produce group and single portraits.
Currently busy working on commissions, Nichola is also preparing for an exciting venture in November that will take her to the Middle East to paint.
She has shown work at the Mall Galleries in London, as well as exhibiting for the past 3 years with The Osborne Studio Gallery in their annual 'Impressions of the Turf' exhibition.
