Nicola Semmens: Weather, Wonder and Whimsy

July 28 - August 27, 2023

exhibition opening Saturday August 5 at 4-6pm

Guest opening speaker Andrew Purvis, Curator at Adelaide Central Gallery

SALA FESTIVAL 2023

Weather, Wonder and Whimsy explores wonder of wild weather landscapes and themes of whimsy in still life painting.

Weather and wonder

Explores our connections to the landscape and how we exist alongside the natural world. Take a walk to find yourself transported by nature, its changing moods, ethereal fluctuations and moody themes of darkness and light.

Whimsy

The overarching theme of my still life painting explores elements of the everyday and includes food items, flowers, and commonplace things, I like to call it a complex simplicity. I hope to elevate these items out of their everyday-ness giving them a high art aesthetic- a Cinderella like status.

 Tinspiration

This series of work is inspired by vintage biscuit tins. Look Inside the tin to find painting and the palette nestled inside, you get two paintings in one. The Painting process is exposed with the chaos of the palette juxtaposed with the realism of the painting.

Nicola Semmens, Don’t cast aspersions on My Nasturtiums, 2023, Up-cycled biscuit tin, oil on paper

Nicola Semmens, 'Memorial trees' Port Elliot , 2023, Up-cycled biscuit tin, oil on paper

Artist Bio

I am a practicing artist, and Iyengar yoga teacher, based in Adelaide and currently have my studio at the Collective Haunt, an artist run studio situated in Norwood. I am surrounded by many talented artists practising in various mediums. It’s a very stimulating environment of fresh ideas and concepts for any artist.

I graduated from the South Australian School of Art in 1991 where I studied Sculpture, painting and drawing. I also completed an Honours degree in Screen Studies at Flinders University and have worked in the film industry as a Production Designer.

Over the years I have exhibited in many venues across Adelaide such as Art Images Gallery, The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel, One Rundle Trading, Hahndorf Academy and at Collective Haunt.

I have been a finalist in the 2017 Emma Hack Art Prize, the 2017 Prize winner at the Friends of SASA ‘Journey’s Exhibition at Gallery M and a finalist in the Adelaide Hills art Prize at the Hahndorf Academy.

As a painter I like to work in the genres of Landscape and Still life.

I am inspired by painters such as Anna Platten, Clarice Beckett, and Margaret Olly. Painting for me is a mediative activity, I enjoy the discipline, to find pleasure in the simple sensory acts of observation, of mixing colours and applying paint to canvas.

Nicolasemmensart (@nicolasemmensart) • Instagram photos and videos