A day at the zoo, 2024

Last school holidays we had a day out at the zoo. When I got home I realised that I’d only taken photos of the gardens. There is a sense of wonderment at the diversity of form and colour in the plant world which is more powerful to me than anything else! Even seeing the sleeping lions close up, lying against the viewing glass – which actually was pretty awesome! I might dare to say that I’m more visually arrested by plants before any other things. I’m beginning to think this is a true reflection of my general day to day experience.

British born, Nicola is now a Sydney/ Eora based artist working out of her studio on Guringai country on the edge of Ku Ring Gai National Park. Largely self taught, Nicola works with oil pastel to simplify form and colour, focussing on gestural and immediate mark making to represent the local landscape and flora with a particular interest in Australian native plants. She has exhibited in both group and solo exhibitions at Michael Reid Northern Beaches, Michael Reid Southern Highlands and at Outre Gallery Melbourne. Two seasonal collaborations with ethical clothing label Nancy Bird has made Nicola’s work accessible to a wider audience through wearable art. In 2023 she was a finalist in The Northern Beaches Environmental Art Prize, and was also a finalist in both NEAP 2021 and 2022.