About Nicole
Nicole Harper is a visual artist and artsworker based in Gympie, Queensland with a passion for providing opportunities and professional development for artists and communities. She has been involved in the management of community galleries, project officer for arts organisations and regional progress associations, volunteered for numerous committees, is on the Board of Creative Arts Gympie Region, and is also pursuing a creative career in her own right. Nicole has exhibited work, curated exhibitions and managed cultural spaces across regional Australia and her experiences as an artist extend to independent exhibitions, art commissions and projects for organisations and individuals. She is studying towards a double Major in Sustainable Development and Community Development and currently works in a development role in local government.
Artist Bio
Nicole has always had art in her life, however did not pursue art seriously until living on a remote cattle station with her family where she felt the desire to create something for herself. It was the landscape that instigated the return journey into art and is still the inspiration for her work.
She is influenced by the landscape that surrounds her and extensively explores the theme of the ongoing vista in her work. Landscapes without human interference are her preference and she paints these in a spontaneous execution, primarily en plein air and from memory. Artists that Nicole takes inspiration from are those who interpret the landscape in their own way, find a unique code or calligraphy that captures the scene.
Nicole prefers a loose approach to the subject and ideally the scene is created wet in wet, striving to quickly capturing the emotions and feeling of the landscape.
CV
Associations
*Creative Arts Gympie Region - current Chair
*NAVA (National Association for the Visual Arts) - current member
*Gympie Regional Council and Maranoa Regional Council Regional Arts Development Fund - past Committee Member
*Gympie Regional Gallery Exhibition Selection Committee - past member
*Vast Arts - past Committee member and Project Officer
*Mitchell on Maranoa Gallery Committee - past President
*Mitchell Arts Council - past Secretary
Workshops and development
How to Curate an Exhibition - CQRASN 2 day course
Gympie Urban Sketchers - 5 week program and mini exhibition at Gympie Regional Gallery
Square, Circle, Triangle drawing - 5 week program
Arts Ablaze Regional Arts Conference
Securing Funding - a Museum & Gallery Services Qld workshop, invited speaker
Bunginderry Artist Retreat with Noel Miller
Connecting you in the regions – a NAVA Connect course
Art as your business – participant in Flying Arts workshop
RADF workshop – participant in workshop for RADF Committee members
USQ McGregor Summer School – participant in Clive Sinclair mixed media and plein air painting workshop
Kenilworth Art Workshops – participant in Minimalistic Landscapes workshop with Pam Black
Gallery etiquette with Bettina McCauley – how to hang, display and handle artwork
Drawing and media – participant in Joan Hurtado workshop
Landscapes with feeling – participant in Des Rolph workshop
Foundation watercolour – participant in Bill Morton workshop
Artsyakka – participant in Qld Arts Council forum in Roma, Qld
Travels with my Paint Brush – participant in Flying Arts workshop with Catherine Parker
Sculpting the Form – participant in Flying Arts workshop with Cezary Stulgis
Naturally Resourceful Women program participant
Exhibitions
Group exhibition - 'Wild/flower Women III' at Gympie Regional Gallery 2020
Selected for inclusion - Du Reitz Prize at Gympie Regional Gallery 2019
Solo exhibition - 'Explorations' at Pomona Railway Gallery January 2019
Solo exhibition - 'hARTland' at Butter Factory Arts Centre in Cooroy April 2018
Solo exhibition - 'hARTland' at Gympie Regional Gallery April 2017
Group exhibition - 'Life. Place. Red dirt' at Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Brisbane April to May 2015 and then touring galleries throughout Queensland until July 2016
Solo exhibition - 'Dusty Retro-Speck' at Quilpie Shire Council Gallery May to June 2015
Solo exhibition - 'Boundless Aspects II' at Gatakers Art Space in Maryborough Qld, July 2014
Group exhibition - 'The road less travelled' local artist exhibition at Grassland Art Gallery in Tambo Qld, August 2014
Solo exhibition - 'Boundless Aspects' at Feather & Lawry Design Gallery in Toowoomba Qld, Nov 2013 to Jan 2014.
Group exhibition - 'ART 150' local artist exhibition at Grassland Art Gallery in Tambo Qld, August to September 2013.
Solo exhibition - 'momentarily' at 9 Wills St Charleville Qld, August 2013.
Solo exhibition – ‘Forest for the trees….’ at Grassland Art Gallery in Tambo, March to May 2013.
Solo exhibition – ‘Field of Vision’ at Emerald Regional Gallery in February 2013 and Springsure Bicentennial Gallery March to June 2013.
Joint exhibition – ‘TRIumph: feminine heART’ with Kathy Ellem and Tammie Saunders at Roma on Bungil Gallery November and December 2012.
Solo exhibition – ‘Fresh’ Brown Gully Gallery in Roma, May 2012.
Solo exhibition – ‘Field of Vision: Carnarvon’ at Injune Creative Artspace October and November 2011 and at Spingsure Bicentennial Gallery in July 2012.
Solo exhibition – ‘Natural Place’ Brown Gully Gallery in Roma, March 2011.
Joint exhibition - ‘Women and Wine’ with Sharleen Keating at Brown Gully Gallery in Roma, July 2010.
Other
Arts on Top Regional Arts Forum - presenter 2019
Invited speaker - Museum & Gallery Services Qld workshop in Longreach 2014
Recipient of Cultural Award at 2013 Maranoa Regional Council Australia Day Award ceremony
Invited speaker - 2012 Naturally Resourceful Women Conference
