About Me
Hello! Guten Tag! As-Salaam-Alaikum! Bonjour! Ciao! Ola! Zdravstvuyte! 你好! Akwaaba!
My name is Nicole, I am the Artist, CEO, Creative Director, Marketing Manager, HR Specialist and Tea Lady behind Nicole Barbara Arts.
A little bit about me!
Following the birth of my daughter and an unexpected health diagnosis, leaving me permanently disabled, I rediscovered my love of art, specifically contemporary, abstract art.
Art is a real passion for me, and has given me a real purpose outside my other role as "Mummy", to my 5 year old daughter, Lilly-Anne.
I live with my husband and my daughter in the suburbs of Gloucester in the South West of the UK, but have previously lived in London, Munich, Oxford, Norfolk and Brighton to name just a few (this is my 38th home!)
I married my husband in Accra, Ghana.
Much like my hair, and my life, I want the art I create to be bold and full of texture! Art should make a statement and I love working with individuals and businesses who are in search of that perfect piece of art to command attention and make a setting feel really fabulous!
A little bit about the business!
I specialise in creating striking and unique, textured art, if it doesn't make you want to reach out and touch it, I haven't done my job properly!
The business is truly international, my creations are currently sitting pretty on walls in Singapore, The USA, Europe, The UAE, The UK and Ghana.
It is important to me that whilst my art is exclusive my business is inclusive. In my corporate career I have seen many people put off services by overly-complicated terminology and extraordinarily complicated processes, and I now often see customers who have been scared off art by the "language of the art world".
All my processes, from booking a Paint Party to commissioning art are available on my website, taking out all the guess work for you.
My Inspiration
I'm inspired by all things glam/glitz and bling, I am one of life's true magpies, my eye will always be drawn to the shimmer of iridescence in a shell or the glint of the sun on the sea on a calm day. From Mother Nature and her ability to create the most ornate and beautiful gems and metals, to Greek and Roman mythology and it's use of stories to explain love and loss and astrology. I can find inspiration from almost anywhere, but as with most art forms, at it's molecular level, my pieces are simply translating a feeling or emotion down onto paper or canvas. It's one of the reasons I love abstract, it reaches down into the onlookers soul, telling the story that needs to be told.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
Family is really important to me and as I became aware that I needed to progress from Hobbyist to Artist & Business Owner I wanted a name that reflected this...
I almost wasn't called Nicole, but after a brief conversation with a nurse who had a dog with my originally intended name, my Dad wisely sought an alternative .... Nicole it was, although it was a slight surprise for my mum when she came around from the anaesthetic!
Nicole is a beautiful name, it's meaning, originally of Greek origin, is "Victory of the People", a fact I remind my husband of whenever we have a minor disagreement!
It's a name I love and whilst increasing in popularity after the advert that shall remain nameless (yes I'm old enough to remember it!); at the time the name was hurriedly bestowed upon me, Nicole was progressive, radical and chic and was offset beautifully by my more traditional middle name, Barbara.
Named after both my Grandmothers and Great-Grandmother it speaks to tradition, love of family and a history of strong, proud women.
Progressive, victorious, strong and family orientated... the perfect name for my business.