Interview with Alison Nicholls [nichollswildlifeart] on Whohub

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What do you do? How do you define yourself as an artist?

I paint African wildlife in watercolor. I lived in Africa for several years and return on a regular basis to sketch in the bush but although the animals in my paintings are anatomically correct, I don't use realistic colors, I eliminate unnecessary detail and exclude almost all background, relying on watercolor washes to create a sense of space.

My subject matter defines me as a wildlife artist but in many ways I consider myself a watercolor artist who happens to paint wildlife. I also consider myself a small business owner.

What is your message?

My message is about imagination, space and beauty.
Almost everyone who goes on safari in Africa comes back raving about it. Whether we like it or not (or even if we don't realise it) we are closely linked to the natural world. I want to remind people of this with my paintings.

Your biography in four lines.

For 9 years I lived in Africa and I return annually to sketch in the bush. I work with conservation organizations, raising funds and lecturing to raise awareness. I am a member of the Explorers Club, Salmagundi Club and Artists For Conservation. My work has been featured in US and UK wildlife art magazines.

Do you upload your work to the web? If so, where could we see it?

How is an idea born? For you, what is inspiration?

Africa is my inspiration. I go there to sketch and replenish my mental library of images, sounds and smells. Due to the heat and dust I don't paint full-sized pieces in the bush. Instead I sketch in the bush and paint when I get home to my studio. I also like to eliminate unnecessary detail from my paintings and I find that easier to achieve when I'm away from the bush.

Normally my ideas come when I'm walking my dog. I don't use photos to provide inspiration and I don't often use my sketches either. I like to come up with ideas when I'm not influenced by everything around me in the studio. I think of a specific place in Africa that I know well and mentally walk myself back into the landscape, seeing the wildlife around me. Then I concentrate on a specific species and from that comes the idea for the painting.

What role does technology play in your creative process?

Technology doesn't play any part in the generation of my painting ideas but it does speed up certain aspects of my preparation.

Once I have my original idea, I do quick thumbnail sketches and then a larger sketch of the animals involved in the piece. For the larger, more detailed drawing I may need to check the details of an animal's anatomy from a photo so technology helps me search my database of photos to find what I need. I will rarely have a photo of an animal in exactly the pose I am using in my painting so will often have to use several photos and my knowledge of the species. But having the database saves me plenty of time and means I don't get distracted by looking through endless photos for the right ones.

Secondly, when I have completed my larger sketch I may photograph it digitally and print it out at a different size to see how it would look.

Although technology has made my creative life easier in many ways (I was very happy to be able to replace all my slides with digital images!), I am very careful about how I use technology. As a fine artist, I depend on inspiration, imagination, sketching, drawing and painting skills. Technology cannot replace these.

Art is whatever you think it is.
My idea of art will differ from the next person's. But that is what makes art so interesting and important.

When do you get your best ideas?

Usually first thing in the morning when I'm outside walking my dog.

How do you evaluate whether an idea is good or not?

A good idea is one I can 'see' in my mind's eye, in its entirety.

When and how did you begin to see yourself as an artist?

I started to think of myself as an artist after a few years of living in Africa, when I realised that I needed to sketch and paint. It took me several more years to start describing myself to the world as an artist. That jump was a big one psychologically. Once I started calling myself an artist I really became one.

How should a work of art be evaluated?

We all evaluate art differently. A museum curator will have completely different evaluation criteria than a member of the public at an art show.
As an artist you have to evaluate your own work constantly. I look for composition, color, technical ability and the wow factor.
If I were advising a member of the public what to look for, I'd say "buy what you will enjoy looking at on your own walls".

Must an artist reinvent him/herself everyday?

It depends on how you work. For me reinvention is not an issue. Instead I prefer to build upon what I did on previous days.

Which artists do you admire and how do they influence your work?

My style really formed in isolation as I had no art background and when I started painting I was living in Botswana with minimal internet access and very few other artists or galleries around.

Since moving to the US I now have access to numerous artists and galleries. I like a huge variety of styles and mediums but rather than following a particular artist's work I tend to just like specific paintings. But if I have to name some - Bob Kuhn, Morton Solberg and Stephen Quiller.

Absolutely.
It is necessary for me because I feel a need to paint what I see. But it is necessary in the wider world and particularly in school curriculums because it allows imagination to expand and develop.

Does it pain you to let go of a piece you have sold?

Only if I have made the mistake of putting the painting up in my studio! Then, if I get used to seeing something on the wall everyday it can be more difficult to let it go. But I will still let it go because you move on and always believe that the next painting is going to be the best you've ever done.

In art, there is no guide. How do you know what the next step is?

The great thing about being an artist is that you define what your next step is.
The next step is whatever is right for you.

What advice would you give to those just beginning?

My main pieces of advice would be:
- Paint what inspires you rather than painting what you think will be popular.
- Keep learning new skills.
- Decide on your long term goals, break them down into manageable steps and start working towards them. If you don't know where you are going, you won't know when you get there.
- Don't forget that you are also in business. Even the greatest paintings in the world won't sell themselves.
- Make use of the internet. If you are not good on the computer - learn. These days you won't be taken seriously if you are not online.

And finally, enjoy every day that you spend as an artist.

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