Brett Nickell

For me, each new painting is a journey into the unknown, and in that way, a metaphor for life. I have no idea what lies ahead, how I will get there, or if I will succeed. The journey unfolds a little at a time, slowly revealing to me which path to follow. My approach is based on the idea of "happy accidents," in which I encourage and curate a certain amount of chaos, and then sculpt it into a composition. This process requires me to step further out of my comfort zone to find ways to make essentially random events work together as a whole.

Each journey is different, not only in outcome but also in technique. I use all manner of media including pens and pencils, crayons, acrylics, magazines, and spray paint. I call this media fusion.

My subject matter is most often determined closer to the end of creating a piece when apparent themes begin to emerge from the chaos field. It is only then that an image or motif will arise to give a meaning or direction to the entire piece.

I don't really require inspiration or ideas; I just start working and the materials themselves suggest what to do. I simply follow the cues they are giving me. I work on several pieces at once so I can move to whichever one reveals the next steps, while letting t...

Autodidact

Galleries
• Hansford & Sons Emerging Artist Platform, London, UK
• Us & Them Gallery, Dayton, Ohio

Juried Exhibitions
• Rosewood Fine Art Gallery, Kettering, Ohio – 23rd Annual Works on Paper Exhibit
• The Sideshow, Dayton, Ohio
• The Midwest National Abstract Art Competition, Indianapolis, IN
• Rosewood Fine Art Gallery, Kettering, Ohio - 16th Annual Works on Paper Exhibit
• Rosewood Fine Art Gallery, Kettering, Ohio - 10th Annual Works on Paper Exhibit
• Fitton Center for the Creative Arts, Hamilton, Ohio
• Middletown Fine Arts Center, Middletown, Ohio
• Fitton Center for the Creative Arts, Hamilton, Ohio
• Middletown Fine Arts Center, Middletown, Ohio
• Cincinnati Art Club, Cincinnati Ohio
• Middletown Fine Arts Center, Middletown, Ohio
• Fitton Center for the Creative Arts, Hamilton, Ohio
• Middletown Fine Arts Center, Middletown, Ohio
• Cincinnati Art Club, Cincinnati Ohio
• Middletown Fine Arts Center, Middletown, Ohio

Group Exhibitions
• Us & Them Gallery, Dayton, Ohio
• The Chakra Gallery, Laguna Beach, California
• The Yellow Cab Tavern, Dayton, Ohio
• International Abstract Art Exhibition, Louisville, KY
• The Dayton Society of Artists and Sculptors, Dayton, Ohio
• The Sideshow, Dayton, Ohio
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