Featured Artist: Nicole Evans

The first thing people notice about the art of Nicole Evans is it's awe-inspiring level of detail; how every fine hair and delicate texture is masterfully brought into focus by meticulously layered oil paint.  

Merging realism with the surreal, Nicole's work is multi-layered in both technique and in the conceptual sense.  An avid animal lover, Nicole addresses serious environmental issues like climate change and habitat displacement whilst weaving in events and personal reflections from her everyday life as a kind of cathartic release.

Growing up amidst the wild beauty of Tasmania, Nicole's love for marine life and the natural world was instilled at an early age.  Now, Nicole has been featured in contemporary art magazine Beautiful Bizarre and the LA Times, and her work exhibited in galleries as far flung as Los Angeles and Portland.  Her star continues to rise as she contemplates stretching her wings even further in the art world. 

We were proud to work with Nicole reproducing some of her gorgeous artwork, which was featured in her recent show-stopping exhibition at Outré Gallery, Glimmer.  Read on as we ask Nicole about the concept behind Glimmer, her art practise, and what's in store for the future.

Hi Nicole, thanks so much for speaking with us today. Can you recall your earliest memories of creating art? How did those experiences shape your journey as a painter?
Thanks so much for interviewing me, it’s a privilege! Most of my earliest memories in general are of drawing – I was obsessed with the ocean, marine life and animals in general (and still am!) – and I have vivid memories drawing sea creatures and animals from a very young age. It’s interesting now reflecting on my journey as a painter since those very early beginnings. After dappling in different mediums and subjects (portraiture, still life etc) over the years while I was developing my painting technique, I’ve now come full circle and am still depicting the animals, the ocean and natural environment.

We’d love to chat with you about your recent exhibition at Outré Gallery, Glimmer. What was the initial inspiration behind the conception of Glimmer, and the key themes that were explored?
In general, my work is inspired by my everyday life, love of the natural world and my concerns about climate change and environmental degradation. Glimmer has an environmental focus and spotlights threatened species of animals in unusual or unexpected environments - alluding to climate change. My paintings are also very personal to me; the animals I paint are quite anthropomorphic and represent me, loved ones or events from my personal life. My paintings allow me to grapple with or communicate things in a way that is very cathartic for me.

Looking back, what do you feel was the most rewarding aspect of putting together the exhibition, and what are your reflections on its overall impact?
The most rewarding part for me is the painting process itself, it feels a bit self-indulgent really! I feel very lucky to get to do what I do and make these paintings that seem to resonate with other people too. Like a lot of artists, I make art because I need to make it, it’s a bit of a natural, innate urge that I don’t really have a choice in haha. I do what I do not just because I love it but because it’s quite a cathartic process for me.

My goal for this show (and all of my paintings in general) is to encourage viewers to slow down, “stop in their tracks” so-to-speak, for at least just a small moment, and appreciate the endangered species I usually shine a light on as well as contemplate what the work makes them feel (if anything) or their interpretation of the meaning of my pieces and their titles. I would love for my paintings to instil a “protect what you love” mentality towards the natural world and it’s inhabitants.

In what ways do you feel your work in Glimmer has evolved since your last solo exhibition?
I think this time around I have a deeper awareness and understanding of the underlying concepts that drive me to make what I make which, as an unexpected bonus, has helped me to feel more confident in exploring different compositions and I’m feeling even more motivated to paint and relish the whole process even more deeply – from the concept and sketching stage, all the way through to applying that final layer of glossy varnish and even speaking with you now about my process and ideas!

Your work manages to balance your extraordinary technical skill with your ability to convey strong emotion through your animal subjects. Could you walk us through your creative process, from sourcing reference material to planning out each piece in a way that effectively conveys your artistic vision?
All of my paintings are very multi-layered both literally - most of my pieces have at least 7 (thin) layers of oil paint - and conceptually. The initial idea for a painting is usually triggered by something that’s happened in my everyday life, news stories, my research into climate change and its impacts or sometimes from poems/song lyrics or writing that touches me – most times it’s all the above swirling around together!

As mentioned earlier, the animals I paint are deliberately quite anthropomorphic and allow me to grapple with things from my personal life and communicate them in a way that is very cathartic for me. Early on in my painting journey I used to almost exclusively paint realistic portraiture (of people) which, though I loved the technical challenge of capturing someone’s likeness, felt a little too “blunt” or obvious of a way of conveying my thoughts and emotions. I wasn’t getting the escapism that I needed during both the painting process and looking at the final piece that I now feel with my animal paintings which are usually deliberately devoid of any signs of human life/man-made things.

In terms of the nitty-gritty of the technical aspects of making my paintings, I spend countless hours sourcing reference material, I usually paint from many different image references that I meld together. I make a lot of sketches and play with composition (sometimes my ideas have been stewing for years) before actually going ahead with the oil painting. Usually by the time I pick up the paint brush I feel like I’ve spent a long time with the concept or image in my mind and on paper already, for this reason my pieces made over the last few years are quite sentimental to me.

In your artwork, you prominently address the tragedy of wildlife displaced from their natural habitats, and your concerns about the environment. How did this become an important subject to you? How do you hope your work will raise awareness or provoke thought about these important issues?
I think my drive to address environmental concerns in my work stems all the way back to my love of and connection to animals and the natural world from an early age. I get very upset when I see statistics, news stories and real-life evidence of the environmental degradation and species becoming endangered or extinct and people being impacted and struggling with the effects of climate change. As you touched on, I often paint animals displaced in unusual environments or situations – this is alluding to the forced climate migration that is already happening now to animals and humans alike.

I feel as though I don’t have a lot of power to change things but I still want to play my part, however small that may be, and so my art is the best way I know how to add my voice to the growing calls for action to do more to address the impacts of climate change on a global scale and (hopefully!) encourage others to do what they can to help bring about change and raise their voices too.