Competitions
Simon Nicholls
Artwork Title: Artist’s best friend
Artwork Medium: Acrylic on paper
Year Created: 2025
Artwork Description:
This painting is of the Eckersley’s store in St Leonard’s. In front of the store are two contemporary Australian artists, Vincent Namatjira and Julie Fragar, both of whom have won the Archibald Prize and the t-shirts they are wearing include images of their Award winning artworks. This represents that the Eckersley’s stores are Australian owned. The dogs represent that an art store can be an artist’s best friend, just like dogs can be a person’s best friend. The small flowered bushes in the pots and the larger flower bush represent that artwork, like plant life just keeps growing.
Artist Statement:
My goal is to create art that stimulates the imagination of the viewer by telling an interesting story. Preserving and enjoying natural environments is a theme I sometimes use in my artwork. The main painting mediums I use are acrylic, watercolour and sometimes oil. The main drawing mediums I use are textas and oil pastels.
The themes of my artworks are often natural landscapes, human figures and places of sentimental value, for example a Civic Video store. I have a love of movies which sometimes inspires my artwork. The inspirations for artworks also includes beautiful landscapes I see from my train journey on the train and countries I have travelled to including New Zealand. Women dancers I have seen perform have also inspired my artwork.
Artist Bio:
My art education includes an Advanced Diploma in Visual Arts, a Diploma in Photo Imaging and a Diploma in Graphic Design at TAFE and several short courses with the National Art School in Darlinghurst. I have been a finalist in the Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize several times. In 2023 I won the ‘Traditional Award’ at the Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize for a painting of the Civic Video store in Padstow. Lorna Greer from my Diploma of Visual Arts at Campbelltown TAFE is still a valued mentor of my work as an artist. I have been a member of the Little Orange art group at the Campbelltown Art Centre since March 2024.
