Nicola is known for her dramatic yet often intricately detailed pastel paintings where she tries to capture all that is beautiful about the equine form.<\/p>\n
Her knowledge and understanding come from her lifelong love of horses which began when she was put onto her first pony at two years old. She counts herself extremely fortunate to have owned a few horses and ponies throughout her life and in fact her studio is a converted stable block which housed her horses not so long ago.<\/p>\n
Having had no formal training Nicola has drawn horses for as long as she can remember. She painted in oils for years but always came back to pastels as her \u201ccomfort blanket\u201d, loving their immediacy and sculptural qualities.
\nShe loves to convey the intimacy that can be felt between horse and human and that moment when one catches ones breath for the briefest moment in that precious connection.<\/p>\n
She says \u201c I always begin by painting the eye so that I form a relationship with my subject right from the start. The emotions that I feel during this process never fail to amaze me, and never seem to diminish with time\u201d
\n\u201cI hope that my lifelong love of these fabulous beasts shows in my work and that I can pass on the joy that they have given me.\u201d<\/p>\n