Nicole Early

Nicole Early

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Degree: BA Hons Fine Art
University: Newcastle University
Graduation Year: 2022

New Blood Art Commentary

Nicole Early’s paintings are characterised by all-over patterns, the result of automatism and the subconscious in her painting process. Abstract, but uneven in their markings and gestures, the paintings give space to pareidolia, the tendency to perceive meaning from ambiguous objects or patterns. If such ways of seeing are, to some degree always embedded in the process of viewing art, they are accentuated in Early’s work. Optically, parts of the image force their way to the foreground, while other areas recede to the background, a sort of illusionistic Rorschach test.  

The surrealists were famously advocates of automatism in art, and we might detect notes of Hilma af Klint’s abstract painting in Early’s work. Certainly, there’s plenty of overlap in how we view the work, abstraction in both cases being the ground from which the viewer untangles a web of possible references and meanings, constantly reminding us that the more we look, the more we see.

Artist Statement

My practice explores themes of abstraction and automatism. Using oil paint, I create large scale paintings. Working in this automatic way allows me to relinquish control and let the subconscious part of my mind guide my hand. As I apply paint to canvas without predetermined intent, I find myself immersed in a state of flow, where thoughts and emotions are unfiltered, and creativity flows freely. Through automatism, I seek to evoke emotions, stir thoughts, and trigger introspection within the viewer. I am fascinated by the Rorschach test and the intriguing concept of pareidolia. I enjoy witnessing the connections individuals form with my paintings through the imagery they evoke, such as objects, patterns, people, animals from the variations in paint marks.

Group Exhibitions

(2024) Winter Edition, Stuart Cinema, Brooklyn, New York

(2022) Newcastle University Degree Show, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle

(2022) Newcastle University Degree Show, Copeland Gallery, Peckham, London

(2018) None of the Above, Tyneside Cinema Workshop, Newcastle