HOLLIE NICHOLS PAINTING AND PHOTOGRAPHY
AS WELL AS HAVING A PASSION FOR MUSIC, HOLLIE NICHOLS FROM NORTHERN HUM ALSO LIKES TO PAINT!!
KIMBERLEY ART - About the Artist
Hi. My name is Hollie Nichols and I have enjoyed living in the Kimberley in the North west of Western Australia for several years. I have lived in Wyndham for a few years now and find myself awed and inspired by the surrounding countryside on a daily basis. The remoteness and natural beauty that this part of the country offers every day is something truly special.
You cannot live in a place like the North West and not become changed somehow. The staggering beauty and ever changing landscapes and moods are something that will always stay with me, no matter where I go. The environment is constantly changing and shifting. The seasons are markedly different. We have the blazingly hot, arid and humid conditions of the “build up” where rain and relief from the continual heat constantly threaten but rarely eventuate. Finally we get the “wet season” where the rain falls in earnest, reviving the plant life, relieving the animal life and bringing the most unbelievable beauty to the most unlikely places. People often ask me how I can possibly love living in a place where the climate is so raw and relentless, the humidity so long lasting and intense and the dust and bugs so unforgiving and I have to say that it is the “wet season” for me. To see the landscape change so dramatically, see the waterfalls being born again, the wildlife play and frolic with new found energy, the beginning of all the cycles of life and all surrounded by such a beautiful fresh green and watery landscape is definitely worth a little bit of inconvenience and harsh uncomfortable conditions. Finally there comes the much more “civilised” “dry season” where the rain dries up along with the life of many of the native grasses, the boabs lose their leaves and the Kimberley’s become a buzz with tourists flocking to witness the last dying embers of the majesty from the “wet season”. Not that the dry doesn’t have it’s own special gifts to give, but to me the wet season takes the cake. Which leads me to how I started painting…
I had always liked to draw, although I’m not sure that I ever did anything much good, and I had always liked the idea of painting. To get a canvas and some paints and set out into the natural world, and to sit and watch, be inspired and create has always held a sort of magic and romance for me and I thought the time had come to finally give it a shot. I tried to capture the feeling or essence of what I was seeing and was inspired when friends could recognise where paintings were created. I was encouraged by some really special and supportive people to enter a couple of works in the annual Wyndham Art Show and was encouraged and inspired to win best overall painting and a third prize. And I guess that is where it has all begun. I love to take time out of my normally busy life to be creative and relaxed and my friends and family have all been very supportive of my new found passion for painting.
KIMBERLEY ART - About the Artist
Hi. My name is Hollie Nichols and I have enjoyed living in the Kimberley in the North west of Western Australia for several years. I have lived in Wyndham for a few years now and find myself awed and inspired by the surrounding countryside on a daily basis. The remoteness and natural beauty that this part of the country offers every day is something truly special.
You cannot live in a place like the North West and not become changed somehow. The staggering beauty and ever changing landscapes and moods are something that will always stay with me, no matter where I go. The environment is constantly changing and shifting. The seasons are markedly different. We have the blazingly hot, arid and humid conditions of the “build up” where rain and relief from the continual heat constantly threaten but rarely eventuate. Finally we get the “wet season” where the rain falls in earnest, reviving the plant life, relieving the animal life and bringing the most unbelievable beauty to the most unlikely places. People often ask me how I can possibly love living in a place where the climate is so raw and relentless, the humidity so long lasting and intense and the dust and bugs so unforgiving and I have to say that it is the “wet season” for me. To see the landscape change so dramatically, see the waterfalls being born again, the wildlife play and frolic with new found energy, the beginning of all the cycles of life and all surrounded by such a beautiful fresh green and watery landscape is definitely worth a little bit of inconvenience and harsh uncomfortable conditions. Finally there comes the much more “civilised” “dry season” where the rain dries up along with the life of many of the native grasses, the boabs lose their leaves and the Kimberley’s become a buzz with tourists flocking to witness the last dying embers of the majesty from the “wet season”. Not that the dry doesn’t have it’s own special gifts to give, but to me the wet season takes the cake. Which leads me to how I started painting…
I had always liked to draw, although I’m not sure that I ever did anything much good, and I had always liked the idea of painting. To get a canvas and some paints and set out into the natural world, and to sit and watch, be inspired and create has always held a sort of magic and romance for me and I thought the time had come to finally give it a shot. I tried to capture the feeling or essence of what I was seeing and was inspired when friends could recognise where paintings were created. I was encouraged by some really special and supportive people to enter a couple of works in the annual Wyndham Art Show and was encouraged and inspired to win best overall painting and a third prize. And I guess that is where it has all begun. I love to take time out of my normally busy life to be creative and relaxed and my friends and family have all been very supportive of my new found passion for painting.
ALL CANVAS PRINTS ARE PRINTED ON 100% COTTON MUSEUM GRADE CANVAS USING ARCHIVAL QUALITY PIGMENT INKS AND ARE AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE MOUNTED - PLEASE PHONE 0417 973 913 FOR PRICING AND FREIGHT CHARGES
ROSE BOABS |
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PRINT SIZE
30.5 CMS WIDE X 25.4 CMS HIGH INSPIRATION If there is anything that I truly love about the Kimberley, it is the sweet humorous characters of the local frogs. It seems that everything you do is witnessed by at least one of our little amphibian friends. It highlights how untouched and unspoilt our corner of Australia really is when you can see so many frogs in one place. They say that if you have a lot of frogs around that your environment is healthy and our environment must be really, really healthy as they are just everywhere-especially in the “wet season”. This little fella was my very first attempt at creating something beautiful with paint and I have to say that he is still one of my favourites and has really helped me to learn about capturing the feeling of a picture. |
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INSPIRATION
This piece was inspired by the myriad of rugged hills surrounded by billabongs and river lands that can be found locally at the end of he wet season. Wide expanses of land become impenetrable by us two legged kind, but crocodiles, kangaroos and water birds have no trouble accessing the water gardens created by the run off from the majestic surrounding rock faces. Water birds can literally be found in their thousands in lagoon areas such as this, all going about their daily business of hunting for food and rearing their young. I am always struck by the contrast of the rugged majesty of the craggy hill peaks with their steep barren slopes and the luscious green and watery life filled beauty of the valleys below. I love the way that you can explore the little pathways left by the animals to find beautiful expanses of crystal clear water edged by acres of close cropped grasses that you would never think would exist when you see the lay of the land from the outside. |
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PRINT SIZE
60.9 CMS HIGH X 50.8 CMS HIGH INSPIRATION One of the most enchanting places for me would have to be the marsh areas in the dry season. It is still an incredible thing for me that the exact place where you can catch a lovely big barramundi for dinner in the wet season is the very same place that you can head off to with the dogs in the dry season to sit and relax with friends and a few beers to watch the setting Kimberley sun. The way that the colours shift and change in the afternoon light, giving way to a moonscape of shadows as the full moon rises is one of the most inspirational feelings there is to have. I have many memories of evenings such as this where friends would gather together to appreciate our beautiful surroundings and the everlasting peace and quiet or to sit around a campfire breathing the cool air and singing a few tunes. To me these evenings are especially magical. |
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PRINT SIZE
76.2 CMS WIDE X 50.8 CMS HIGH INSPIRATION This piece was inspired by one of my favourite stands of the mighty boab trees between Wyndham and Kununurra. These trees can be seen from the road and so their ever-changing moods and stages of life can be constantly witnessed. From the bronzed metallic look of their skin in the build up, to the fully foliaged masters of the plains in the wet season, these trees are truly iconic of the North West region. This area highlights the way that although things are much the same over time at first glance they are ever changing if you take the time to truly look. These awesome giants guard the entry to some truly amazing countryside. Almost impenetrable when the cane grasses grow tall, this areas beauty can only truly be recognised after fires from the fierce electrical storms of the area have burnt through the undergrowth or the first rains of the wet season have pushed the cane grass flat. I have wandered through this timeless area on a number of occasions and am always amazed at the raw beauty of the surrounding ranges and abounding wildlife. And to think you could pass right by and never realise just what you are missing. |
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PRINT SIZE 60.9 CMS WIDE X 45.7 CMS HIGH INSPIRATION To rise early in the morning before the heat sets in when camping in the East Kimberley is one of the most magnificent times of the day. It’s quiet apart from the bird song and the scenery is truly fantastic. In The early morning and late afternoon the landscape colours are constantly changing and moving and really is something to behold. The beautiful yellow flowers of the Kapok against the drying native grasses give a bright cheery feel to the surrounding countryside. Kapok flowers give way to large round seed pods which split into four quadrants when the seeds are dry enough to disperse and are surrounded by a fluffy cotton wool like material which was once harvested and used in similar way to how we use cotton today. These Kapoks are everywhere you look when they are in flower or in seed but fade into insignificance for the rest of the year, so much so that you would not believe that they are still there at all. This is the season where the humidity is gone, the days are balmy, and the nights clear and cool and you know that there is nowhere that you would rather be. |
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PRINT SIZE
76.2 CMS WIDE X 54.6 CMS HIGH INSPIRATION This piece was inspired by the magnificent array of colours that the clouds in the sky can display in the early hours of the morning and as the afternoon draws to a close. The stunning displays of pinks and oranges are astounding and breath taking set against the perfect blues of the sky, and taint everything around with their hue. There is nothing better than to get out amongst it after a long hot Kimberley day and take the time to appreciate the changing colours while ambling along a favourite pathway. The tall lean shapes of young boabs are a sight to behold with their red-bronzed trunks looking athletic and tanned by the summer sun. It is amazing to think that although they are relatively young as far as boab trees go, they were probably standing there before our grandparents and even their grandparents were even born. Timeless giants |
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GUT FEELING
PRINT SIZE
50.8 CMS WIDE X 76.2 CMS HIGH
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BIRDS OF A FEATHER
PRINT SIZE
91.4 CMS WIDE X 60.9 CMS HIGH --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KAPOK TRAVELLER
PRINT SIZE
45.7 CMS WIDE X 30.5 CMS HIGH ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COBALT DANCER
PRINT SIZE
91.4 CMS WIDE X 60.9 CMS HIGH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUNSET DRINKS
PRINT SIZE
60.9 CMS WIDE X 40.6 CMS HIGH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RAPTURE
PRINT SIZE
50.8 CMS WIDE X 40.6 CMS HIGH --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KAPOK TRAVELLERS (LARGE)
PRINT SIZE
91.4 CMS WIDE X 60.9 CMS HIGH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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NATURE'S SHARMAN
PRINT SIZE
91.4 CMS WIDE X 60.9 CMS HIGH --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHIMMER
PRINT SIZE
91.4 CMS WIDE X 60.9 CMS HIGH ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WIND SONG
PRINT SIZE
91.4 CMS WIDE X 60.9 CMS HIGH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NIGHT CALLER
PRINT SIZE
76.2 CMS WIDE X 60.9 CMS HIGH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PINK DIAMOND
PRINT SIZE
45.7 CMS WIDE X 40.6 CMS HIGH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONDUCTOR OF THE TREE TOP CHOIR
PRINT SIZE
91.4 CMS WIDE X 60.9 CMS HIGH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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