Artist's Portfolio

Clark Nicol

I graduated in Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee during which time I was a prize winner in the Scottish Open Art Competition. After a post-graduate award I moved to London, where I taught art, and I am currently Head of Art at Plymouth College. 
My work since February 2016 has been concerned with exploring a dialogue between geometric shapes and figurative landscape, often referring to the issues around pollution of the seas. These make the surface of the painting an important aspect of the viewing experience, and as well as enjoying the interaction between the pictorial depth and the surface marks, they act either as a foil to the more natural structures of the rocks and landforms, or as framed snapshots of remembered experiences.
This year I have become increasingly interested in the relationship between the physical and visual experience of space in landscape. Having begun to enjoy the more expressive qualities of looser brushwork and the evocative effects of drips and splashes, I find that the power, energy, wetness, and textures of the moors and coast can be better expressed through different forms of mark making.