I draw my subjects from my immediate surrounds, focusing on the light and shadows that turn something mundane into something beautiful, leaning heavily into nostalgia.
This painting is a backyard pool scene, where I have focused on the classic retro lawn chairs and the reflection in the water as the visual focal point of the work. Partly inspired from photographs and partly imagined, this pool scene is at once an exploration of texture, colour and pattern but also of nostalgia and imagined escapism.
I try not to ordain the meaning behind my work, instead leaving it open for viewers to project their own associations and memories onto the familiar subject matter. It’s beautiful to hear the stories people conjure through connecting to and resonating with my work.
Nicci Bedson established her painting practice on Dharawal land after completing a Bachelor and Masters of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong 2006-2009.
Her paintings have been included in several art prizes, as well as exhibitions in the Illawarra and Sydney. She works from her home studio, where she lives with her young son.
Nicci is known within her local art community through her iconic suburban paintings; through her involvement in artist run spaces (Moving Mountains Gallery, Pretty Good) and through her work as an exhibition installer (Wollongong Art Gallery, Campbelltown Art Centre).
Her small acrylic paintings evoke a nostalgia and familiarity to a wide audience, depicting intimate domestic settings and urban architectural facades. Reoccurring themes are typical Australian suburban houses, backyards, interiors and chairs.
