Stephen Niccolls

One way to talk about my paintings is to say that they are responses to those moments when I find myself absorbed in some mundane object that has no obvious “beauty” or “meaning” as these words are usually understood. What I’m seeing are qualities that I want to explore somehow in my work. The idea is that these qualities become manifest, clarified, or perhaps transformed in the process of giving them expressive form.
The structure in my paintings is meant to strike a balance between order and chaos. If the structure is too organized or rigid, I feel that the painting loses vitality. The same thing happens if the structure is too chaotic. I am most satisfied when my painting is almost out of balance, yet seems to contain or generate a unique energy, demanding that the work be understood on its own terms.

MFA • University of Massachusetts

Informalism • John Davis Gallery • Hudson, New York, 2019

Internal Architecture • Samuel Palmer Gallery • Vassar College • Poughkeepsie, New York 2017