4 minute read
Heart for Artists
By Andrea Louise Thomas Photos Yanni
Wildlife painter Nicole Barros wanted to create an intimate art gallery where she could share space with other talented artists offering affordable art directly to buyers. For art lovers, art is not a luxury; it’s essential, a daily source of joy and inspiration. The current economy has made it harder to acquire. At Art House Gallery inside Tyabb Packing House, Nicole and her colleagues have created a relaxed, cosy place exhibiting beautiful art which is accessible to all.
“This gallery has some of the Peninsula’s finest artists selling their work at the best prices because it’s run by the artists themselves,” she says. No commissions, no mark-ups, no middle man; just original art and limited edition prints in all sizes, shapes and styles. There is something to appeal to every buyer.
While Nicole has worked in other fields, nothing brings her the joy and satisfaction of creating art, sharing art and being in the company of other like-minded people making, collecting and valuing art. “I can’t wait to go to bed so that I can get up and paint the next day,” she says.
Growing up in Wollongong, NSW, right across from the beach, Nicole spent almost all of her free time swimming, surfing and soaking up the natural environment. She finds the same inspiration living on the Mornington Peninsula. Its vast variety of native plants, trees, birds and wildlife makes her artist’s heart sing. It’s no wonder her realist paintings jump off the canvas.
Amazingly, Nicole did not create art as a child or come from a family of artists. Her love for painting came later. When she left high school, Nicole travelled on her own to Sydney to study at Julian Ashton Art School instructed by some wonderful and inspiring teachers.
Like many art schools at that time, classes were male-dominated with few female students. It was not easy to establish herself amongst these peers, but she persisted through the three years, earning a Fine Arts Certificate.
Nicole felt fortunate to attend an art school where traditional methods and techniques were taught: life drawing, perspective drawing, colour theory, mixing and painting in oils. She created portraits and still life paintings using skills that have stood her in good stead all her life.
She then studied watercolour independently using New Zealand artist Nancy Tichborne’s Watercolour World as a guide. Nicole loves the vibrancy and transparency of watercolours. It’s something she finds that other mediums can’t achieve.
Like many artists, Nicole had a parallel career. She spent the majority of her working life in sales, predominantly pharmaceuticals. She finished business school while working fulltime. Despite the busy work schedule, Nicole always found time to draw and paint.
After 30 years of working in watercolours, she has returned to oils and acrylics. Nicole’s meticulous painting is extraordinarily realistic. The work is painstaking. She might spend an entire month working on a lion or tiger until every single hair is perfectly in place. She must also capture the spirit of the animal. “Eyes are really important in getting the piece just right,” she says.
I can’t wait to go to bed so that I can get up and paint the next day
Pet portraits provide a lot of joy. Nicole loves it when animal owners gush about how perfectly she has captured their pet’s personality and features. She also enjoys the unique challenge of painting the amazing variety of native birds she sees daily from the windows of her art studio. Each bird has its own delightfully quirky personality and its own individual plumage pattern. This makes the painting of them interesting.
Nicole has won numerous art prizes. Her work is held in private and public collections all over the world. Despite her many accomplishments and accolades, she still gets her greatest satisfaction from working to promote and support other artists.
She is currently President of the women-only Two Bays Art Group which she has been a member of for many years. She is also Treasurer of Art House Gallery and a member of Peninsula Art Society.
Now, Nicole happily shares time painting and working at Art House Gallery with her artistic peers. She is just as happy to spruik their work as she is to promote her own. She hopes gallery visitors will share her passion for art and enjoy the opportunity to see the Peninsula’s best in their own collective gallery. One thing is clear: Nicole has a true heart for artists.
