MEET THE ARTIST

My name is Nikki and I am a self taught Australian artist. I mostly produce abstract watercolour paintings and digital drawings, but I dabble in acrylic painting, clay making and any craft that grabs my attention and delivers that sweet, sweet hit of dopamine.

My abstracts have a certain vibe to them that has prompted the question of my influences because of similarities in style to indigenous art and while I do not intend for this to happen, I can see where people are getting the idea. I would say that the main inspiration for my abstracts is in my past as a microbiologist - when I was a PhD student I would look down a microscope at bacteria on the daily. The glowing little dots and squiggles must have imprinted onto my subconscious!

When I am not chilling with my gorgeous toddler (I use the word "chilling" loosely), I try and sneak into my art room to mess around with paints. If not this, moments to myself are usually spent playing Palia or Animal Crossing on my Switch, or op shopping with an iced latte in hand.

“There are no mistakes, just happy accidents.”

Bob Ross

HOW IT BEGAN

I started painting as a way to cope with stress/overwhelm, and what began as a hobby and exercise of mindfulness became a raging passion. Over the years, I’ve experimented with different techniques and materials, but I always return to watercolour abstracts because it allows me to really have fun exploring colour and movement with no need for it to look “good” or “right”; there is no space for perfectionism here.

My goal is to create art that is expressive and invokes feeling. I don’t subscribe to certain styles or colour schemes – I just go with what feels right in the moment (I just sit in a state of mindful bliss, painting random splotches, lines and dots).

While I was pregnant with my (now toddler) son, I held a stall with Homegrown Markets and oh boy was it fun! I revelled in the beautiful comments that people made as they looked at the fruits of my joyful paint sploshing. Honestly, it is the first time I felt like an actual artist, seeing it all together on the table.

I am excited to get back in to the markets scene and get my stuff out there! Wanna see what I get up to throughout the process of re-entering the creative world? Follow me on Insta!