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Nicola Bouwer,’When life gives you lemon's, go to bed', oil on board,2023

Nicola Bouwer,’When life gives you lemon's, go to bed', oil on board,2023

R 8,500.00 ZAR
R 8,500.00 ZAR
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Nicola is a Johannesburg-based South African artist working across oil painting and collage. Her practice is rooted in quiet observation and emotional storytelling, drawing on themes of memory, stillness, nature, and the spaces in between.

Nicola’s creative journey is shaped by instinct and her formal studies in social sciences. She believes creativity is not something you learn, it is how you move through the world. 

She began her career in the corporate world before gradually shifting focus to a dedicated art practice, returning to a long-standing interest in making art.

Her process is guided by a sensitivity to mood and form — often drawn to simple, evocative elements like a lone chair, the flicker of a shadow, or the way light touches a surface. With influences ranging from Japanese aesthetics to photography, graphic design, architecture, and flowers, her work is an introspective and playful mix of mediums and meaning.

 

This series reflects on moving beyond the past, hinting at the possibility of escape and retreat from present circumstances. Set mostly in nature, the works offer space for introspection and reconnection with the self.
Moody and atmospheric, they are created using a ‘rub-out’ technique, erasing paint to reveal forms and capture subtle shifts of light. More than artistic expression, these paintings carry a quiet sense of hope, inviting viewers to consider change.
In Whispering Woods: A Solitary Wanderer’s Tale, the landscape becomes a companion for solitude.
In When Life Gives You Lemons, Go to Bed, the scene offers a wry reminder that rest can be a form of resilience.

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