The Spring Auction 2020

An unfurling fern from Tentsmuir Forest in Fife, is painted on Liberty London fabrics in Nicola Wiltshire's iconic creative style. 

Nicola compelled to paint the battle between nature and man that she sees in this subject "the idea of something wild being controlled and grown with the set area of a ceramic pot - much like us humans in our houses."

Using Liberty London fabrics, because of their rich heritage and quality of design, the artist begins her work by stretching the coloured and patterned material over a wood frame, before priming selected areas for painting; a technique developed by the artist over the past 12 years. Drawing in charcoal, and using her own hand made paints and soft pastels created from centuries-old techniques, Nicola then begins outlining the main subject matter.

Snapshots of walks, domestic interiors and people sleeping are amongst the themes the artist depicts to explore universal experiences such as journeys, silence, the seasons and archetypes.

As a result, Nicola's images are at once familiar and dreamlike emerging into playful, calming and appealing compositions - a poetic and joyful celebration of art’s history.

Nicola was recently named by The Guardian as an "artist to watch."

Accolades

BA, University of Westminster, London, 2009.
MFA, Art and Humanities at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee.