Meet the Artist & Residency Winner - Nicole Nelius
Nicole sees the unnoticed. She’ll take what’s already there, and transforms it into beauty in a way that’s entirely hers. Selected from over 900 submissions, Nicole is one of the 2 final residency winners and will travel to Mallorca later this year for a 5-week artist residency at Hotel BonSol. Her painting Piel de Sapo is part of the Artist Suite Collection, a curated by Hôtel Magique and Hotel BonSol as a result of the Call for Artist.
'Piel de Sapo' by Nicole Nelius
"This is something I’ve painted specifically for the submission - inspired by the fruits and flora of Mallorca, the signature yellow of Hotel BonSol and the blue green of the Mediterranean. It’s sunshine on canvas.
I had the concept for this painting on the back-burner and thought ‘If I have time I will finish it’. I’m so glad I did - there is a special, subtle magique in this particular painting because I was less attached to the outcome by being pressed for time and ultimately painting it in a more free way."
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am a mother of two boys. I’m a stylist for editorial and advertising photoshoots. I love interiors. I love still life.
Why did you start creating art?
I’ve always been artistic. I would spend hours on the weekends ‘tidying’ my bedroom, which was mostly rearranging my collections and colour-coding my shelves. I would sometimes get a lower grade on school projects for being ‘too creative’, focusing less on the information and more on the presentation - whoops! I studied art history and theory at university with a minor in visual arts which was a nice introduction to different disciplines. More specifically with painting, I took a weekend course at the National Art School in expressive painting as a form of distraction from feeling very ill every day during my second pregnancy and continued to pursue it on my own. I have my own collection of original compositions to paint from as I’ve always been interested in photography and have a background composing still life images, in my work as a stylist.
What inspires you to create art today?
I can be an anxious person, and I find that the process of creating calms and excites me. It’s a constant struggle which I both love and loathe, but isn’t that the essential paradox to feeling a sense of pride? The discipline of it grounds me. Also, I love the hand-made, human touch in the everyday and I want to be a part of that beauty. I don’t only wish to be a visitor in this life, I want to leave pretty things behind!
Where are you from, and where is home for you today?
I am originally from Canada and I now live in a small town outside of Sydney, Australia with my husband and two little boys. I have been in Australia for nearly half my life, so feel very much at home here, though I am still a proud Canadian prairie girl.
Why did you apply for the Call for Artists?
I’ve admired Milou’s work for many years since I first fell for the Hotêl Magique apple art print that I now have at home. There was actually a Call for Artists a few years ago through Hotêl Magique that I've always regretted not entering. I told myself that if another opportunity popped up, I couldn’t miss it again. Also, an artist residency has been on my radar for this stage in my career and was at the top of my goals list for this year. Interestingly, I also have Spanish heritage - my Abuelo was an artist who defected to Canada when he was 30 - and the idea of spending time at this beautiful family-run BonSol hotel felt extremely aligned for me. Almost serendipitous in a full-circle kind of way.
Photography by Anna Pihan.
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