WAR: Helpless Observer

In the winter of 2008, Nichol took a severe departure from her unique painting style.  There was no intention behind the subject matter or concern for the opinions of others.  She expected to toss whatever she painted.  Her only desire was to paint without thought, to push the boundaries of her structured need to have a cohesive idea before committing her brush to canvas.  What resulted was unexpected and emotional.

​

Nichol set these “paintings” aside and moved on with her usual studio practice. But they lingered. For the next eight years Nichol expanded these studies and confronted the quiet feelings that resulted in the work you see before you. What started off as a whisper from an internal conflict grew into an incredible visual expose on the emotions of war as a helpless observer.  These paintings were completed in time to make their way to Sarajevo, Bosnia on the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide.