Welcome to Nicolette Arts

I am a painterly realist, more interested in sparking joy than in accurately rendering a scene. A Colorado native, my most frequent subjects are Rocky Mountain landscapes, flora and fauna — particularly wildlife.

I am a colorist, painting in oils, watercolors, and glass paint. In any medium, what energizes me and my work is vibrant, saturated color. I find inspiration in sunshine, shadow, and color.

My mission as an artist is to rekindle a sense of wonder, to reawaken our connection to the natural world. In both my own works and in teaching, my goal is to connect with the numinous — something from the natural world that gives rise to spiritual feelings of joy, wonder, awe or fragility.

I teach drawing on the right side of the brain, figure drawing and nature drawing. If four to eight people request a class, I will form an online class at a time convenient for them. In leading plein aire outings and in classes, I often incorporate a guided meditation to help students connect with what ignites their joy, thus helping them to find what subjects call out to them most.

Public art:

I have (modestly) secured a place for myself in my town’s history by donating my Mules at Thompson House watercolor to the town of Carbondale. It is now hanging in the chambers of the town trustees, where it will remain as a permanent part of the town’s artwork.

My art celebrates the spark of divinity that burns in every human and glories in mankind’s connection to the natural world. The following quote expresses the message within most of my paintings:

Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect.