Nicola Woodcock - Cactus Hour

Nicola Woodcock
Outré Gallery Fitzroy
24 Apr - 18 May 2025

Opening Night
6–8pm on Thursday 24 Apr 2025
319 Smith Street, Fitzroy
Drinks provided by Range Life Wine & Bodriggy Brewing Co.

British born, Nicola is a Sydney based artist working out of her studio on the edge of Ku Ring Gai National Park. She was a finalist in The Northern Beaches Environmental Art Prize 2023, The Little Things Art Prize 2023 and The National Emerging Art Prize in 2021 and 2022. In 2024 she collaborated with ethical Melbourne based label Nancy Bird, her artwork featuring on clothing and apparel for the Spring season.

Artist Statement:

I spent a blissful afternoon strolling through the Royal Botanic Gardens recently and took inspiration from the succulent garden for this small body of work. There are specimens from far flung and arid desert countries, jungles and rainforests. I was momentarily transported to exotic places like Morocco and Madagascar. The variety of shapes, colours and the sheer scale of the plants fascinated me. I had to explore their forms back in the studio to really get to know them and to deepen my appreciation of the incredible variety of plant life on our green planet.

I work in oil pastel, drawing from a small palette and placing colours side by side rather than blending or mixing to find combinations which excite me. I allow the medium to dictate the strength of lines and marks which means relinquishing a degree of control over the marks produced. The thick crayon-like pastels leave no room for fussiness, detail is pared back and I’m forced to search for the essence of the image.