Keith Nichols, fine artist, painter and printmaker
My work is influenced by the natural world, combined with self-exploration of the inner, emotional landscape. I explore the practice of painting; experimenting with its material properties and allowing instinct and the vagaries of the medium to decide the course of each one. Of late, my work has inhabited a more ethereal space; combining experiences - both inner inner and outer with thoughts and feelings, myths and stories - represented in layered images full of meaning.
My intent is to create paintings that are expressive and experimental. Freely applied paint reflects natural movement and emotional context. The concealing and removal of layers of paint creates a history pertinent to each piece. I work mainly in oils, at times with mixed-media, using large-sized brushes, painting knives and 'implements' on large-scale wooden panels or on self-built canvases in either linen or cotton. I experiment with mixes of home-made oil mediums.
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​Works are held in private collections, both in the UK and internationally.
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In 2019, I won the Parker Prize for Artistic Excellence at Art for Youth London.
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Exhibitions:
The Great Sheffield Art Show 2010 and 2011
Art in the Garden, Sheffield Botanical Gardens, 2013
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2014
Art in the Garden, Sheffield Botanical Gardens
The Hide Launch Event, Lambert Street, Sheffield - April
2015
Art in the Garden, Sheffield Botanical Gardens
Art for Youth, Mall Galleries, London - September
2016
Art for Youth Launch, Strutt & Parker, Mayfair, London - June
Art for Youth, Mall Galleries, London – invitation artist, donating works to the charity auction and secret postcard sales - September
2017
‘Transitions’, Group exhibition. Yorkshire Artspace Sheffield
The Harley Open, The Harley Gallery, Welbeck, Nottinghamshire - June - August
Hathersage Contemporary Art Group exhibition, Hathersage, Derbyshire - June
Art in the Garden, Botanical Gardens, Sheffield - September
Art for Youth London, Mall Galleries, London - December
2018
‘Vivid locality – a playful exploration of space & colour’ group exhibition, The Montgomery Theatre, Sheffield - January - February
‘An ecology of hope’ group exhibition – Sheffield Cathedral - April
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Art for Youth North, North Yorkshire - October
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Art for Youth London, Mall Galleries, London - December
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2019
'Art in the Home 2019' - group touring exhibition, Kommune and Persistence Works, Sheffield and Nomad Atelier, Barnsley - November
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'Regeneration' - Painterly Exchange group exhibition. Exchange Place Studios galleries, Yorkshire Artspace Sheffield - November
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Art for Youth London, Mall Galleries, London - December
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2020
Art for Youth London, Mall Galleries, London - December
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2021
Art for Youth North, North Yorkshire - October
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Cupola 30, Cupola Contemporary Art – July - August
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Autumn Almanac, group exhibition. Exchange Place Studios galleries, Yorkshire Artspace Sheffield - November
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Scion, Cupola Contemporary Art - November - January 2022
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Art for Youth London, Mall Galleries, London - December
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2022
Scion, Cupola Contemporary Art – January
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Art for Youth London, Mall Galleries, London - November
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2023
Art for Youth London, Mall Galleries, London - October
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2024
Art for Youth London, Mall Galleries, London - November
Awards and prizes
2019: The Parker Prize, Art for Youth London
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