Karole Nicholson, The Gathering, mixed media collage. © Karole Nicholson, shared with permission.
Karole Nicholson
New England artist, Karole Nicholson, dreamed of being an artist ever since she was a small child. In pursuit of that dream, she studied graphic and advertising design at the Rhode Island School of Design and continued her art education through many master level workshops in the U.S., U.K., and Europe.
Nicholson feels a deep connection to the natural beauty around her. “As someone who finds inspiration by communing with the local environment, either on a wooded path, by a roadside field, or discovering a hidden marsh,” she says, “it is clear to see that these are the scenes that spark my starting point at the easel.”
Working with mixed media, pastel, and collage, Nicholson develops each piece of art she creates with a focus on texture and a contemporary abstract style. Her process is complex. “I often incorporate the use of various collage materials such as newspapers, maps, dress patterns, blueprints, cardboard, sandpaper, handmade papers, tissue paper, rice paper, music sheets, and old catalogs,” she says. “Then these archival, recycled materials are coupled with acrylic paints, inks, transparent washes, and water-based pencils, and the final canvas is sealed with matte medium and varnished.”
Her paintings have appeared in many national juried exhibitions and international competitions.
She holds exhibiting artist memberships in the Collage Artists of America, Abstract'd Art Collective, Providence Art Club, Pawtucket Arts Collaborative and the Attleboro Arts Museum. Past memberships include the Pastel Society of America, Pastel Painters of Cape Cod, Connecticut Pastel Society, and the New Hampshire Pastel Society.
To learn more about Nicholson’s work, visit her website, Instagram, or Facebook.
