Although I work across genres, the common thread that connects my work is that it is all produced primarily from life.

If the subject is not observed from life, as far as I’m concerned, there is something lacking in the work. True observation, and so authenticity, can only come from spending time examining the subject directly in front of you.

Having said that, I am not averse to the use of photography, as long as it does not replace the act of looking and responding to life. My portraits are either painted Alla Prima in one session or are painted over several sittings.

I also paint still-lifes, in the form of Subbuteo figures.

Bio

Mick McNicholas is an artist living and working in Wokingham, UK. Following a successful career as a digital artist, Mick’s practice led him to develop his skills in drawing originally as a way to enhance how he made digital works, but as he progressed he rediscovered his passion for producing physical works of Art that actually exist in the world. He has pursued the path of Representational Artist, working across media and primarily from life, ever since.

Despite studying Art & Design Foundation in his youth, and having an MA in Digital Media, Mick is largely self-taught when it comes to representational art. However, he has taken classes and attended workshops with internationally renowned artists, such as Hollis Dunlap and Nicolás Uribe. He now regularly organises workshops for other international artists, as an extension to his artistic practice.

Mick’s drawings and paintings have been exhibited in several prestigious shows (most notably at the Mall Galleries with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Pastel Society, and in the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition), and various group exhibitions around the country, such as The New Light Art Prize Exhibition.