Rhythm Adjust

"Discontinuous Ring was the first work I made during a residency in Rheinland Pfalz Germany, high up in the South Eifel plateau. An area on the paper was demarcated with water whilst leaving areas of dry pebble shape islands of paper. As I gradually introduced increasing quantities of liquid pigment I witnessed the surface tension of the coloured water and anticipated the impending floods onto ‘dry lands’. A period of calm, stillness resulted where, over some days the pigment settled and created strong ring formations of different widths. The small islands of blank paper were part of this ring which also acted as a frame holding airier shapes within.

The painting process of making my watercolours is for me is similar in intensity to the experience of walking through a landscape. A similar heightened attention occurs where I observe the minutiae of things and the extent and scale of them -from observing small grains of stone with their differing colours in the sediment of a stream to seeing the colour of an entire rock face in a hill. Feeling the gravitational pull of a hill as I climb whilst imagining the weight and time involved in creating the geology of the surroundings towering above and deep beneath my feet.” - Barbara Nicholls, 2021

This work was selected for inclusion in Sedimentary Flow Published by Black Dog Press. There is a film by Anton Houtappels of Barbara Nicholls making small watercolours at Telpost The Netherlands. 

Accolades

Recent solo shows: Sedimentärer Fluss Städtisches Museum- Galerie im Centrum-Wesel, Germany, 2019. Barbara Nicholls The Turnpike Gallery, Leigh, 2019. Grosse Watercolours Turps Gallery, London, 2018. Sedimentary Flow The New Art Gallery Walsall, 2017.
Recent Group shows: The Spiritual Exercises Artschaplaincy.net/projects, 2021. Beelden Op De Kaart Kunst in Millingen, The Netherlands, 2021. The Collectors Room JGM Gallery, London, 2020. MailArt Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld, Germany, 2020. Recent Acquisitions Museum Kurhaus Kleve, Germany, 2019. Earthworks JGM Gallery, 2019. Lakebed Concordia Gallery Sydney, Australia, 2018. 10 Jähringen Kunstverein Kleve Germany, 2018. Lakebed Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery NSW Australia, 2018.

Recent Awards: Arts Council England Individual Artist Award, 2020. Arts Council England Individual Artist R&D Award, 2014.

Recent Residences: Stiftung zur Förderung zeitgenössischer Kunst, Germany, 2016-2020. The Turnpike Gallery, Leigh, UK, 2019.

Barbara currently teaches at Turps Banana, Oxford Brookes University, University of Lincoln, Lancaster University, Central St Martins, Glasgow School of Art and Morley College.

www.barbaranicholls.co.uk
Instagram: barbara_nicholls
Twitter: @barbaraNicholl9