Nicki Stewart

Nicki has been painting full-time since 1998. She paints in acrylic/mixed media on canvas and, more recently, in encaustic (wax and dammar resin) on plywood panels. A background in textile design has had a profound effect on the work with texture being vital to the finished image. Each piece is carefully constructed, built up layer by layer using structural material, adding extra dimension to the work with rough surfaces and layers of colour. It is then richly embellished with metal leaf lending a spectacular intensity to the finished image creating an iconic presence in the work. The consequences of this process are beautifully constructed and powerful compositions, strong in their use of both form and colour. Nicki succeeds in expressing a deeply felt sense of 'unity' and 'wholeness' balancing colour, form, and composition. Nicki currently works from her studio in South Wairarapa. Her work is held in private collections in New Zealand, Europe and the U.K.