NICOLA WILTSHIRE

Painted on gold, silver, bronze and patterned fabric, these paintings playfully explore the decorative beauty, ethereality and meaning of religious art, through portraits of people living today.

This collection combines a contemporary approach to portrait painting, with research into Christian art, as well as fashion photography, symbology and the repetitive patterns seen in Islamic art.

The paintings are inspired by the beautiful stained glass windows and mosaics found at churches throughout Scotland, as well as the interior of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and the many mountainside Orthodox churches on the Greek island of Aegina.

By combining these elements, the collection becomes both peaceful and dense with meaning.

The series was initially exhibited for the public opening of my MFA degree at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in 2015. The developed project was displayed as solo exhibitions at Hartlepool Art Gallery and Roseangle Gallery, Dundee, both in 2016. A selection of the paintings also went on show as a solo exhibition titled 'A Beacon In Darkness' at Alien Hole Gallery in Inverness in 2017.

All Works have been sold and are now in private collections. Send me an email if you'd like to discuss commissioning a painting.