Niki Purcell – Irish Landscapes
Niki Purcell is an Irish oil painter based on the Wicklow/Wexford border, known for contemporary landscape and seascape paintings that capture the light, weather and coastline of the east of Ireland.
She graduated from the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) with an honours degree in Fine Art in 1995 and has worked as a professional painter ever since, exhibiting at the Hugh Lane Gallery, the Douglas Hyde Gallery, the RHA Gallery and the Guinness Hopstore, with work held in collections including the Office of Public Works (OPW); she was recently asked to design an original paint colour, “Rolling Harvest,” for Curator, an upmarket new paint range from Colour Trend Paints aimed at the domestic, UK and US markets.
Rather than objective reality, her paintings aim to capture the subjective emotions her surroundings arouse in her — the effect of wind on the landscape, restless cloudscapes racing across the sky, or the quiet stillness of a calm summer’s day — immortalising fleeting moments of wonder that would otherwise pass and be lost.
Niki grew up beside the sea in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, and now lives and paints from an old coastguard station on the Wicklow/Wexford border, working in oils on board, canvas and wooden panel, often on several paintings at once, developing ideas from sketches, mental snapshots and photographs gathered on coastal walks into finished work in the studio.
Niki Purcell – Irish Landscapes
A Questions & Answers with Niki Purcell Artist
Where did you grow up?
I grew up beside the Sea in Greystones Co.Wicklow, with views of the Sugarloaf Mountain, Bray Head and the distant Wicklow Mountains
When did you first become interested in art?
I have always drawn and loved Art, as a young child I would draw on the title page of my books than sign and date the drawings just incase I was ever famous!
How did you pursue your desire to be a painter?
I painted and painted and than went to Art college, I studied at NCAD, Dublin and left with an Hons Degree in Fine Art
What is the artistic lifestyle like?
Take us through a typical day. Every day is slightly different but each one has painting in it.. I live in an old Coastguard station and the living area is open plan with my painting space at one end(Where the big window is), so while I am getting breakfast for my daughter or waiting for the kettle to boil I will always check out my space and look at what is on the easel and maybe get side tracked and start painting until I get calls of hunger! I paint or draw on and off during the day and usually I will work on more than one piece at a time, I find this keeps my work fresh and filled with energy..
As I live on a cliff top, I go walking a lot and will bring a small sketchbook and I might do a series of quick 1 or 2 minute sketches to help me remember a view or a particular cloud…whatever catches my eye really!
Do you paint every day, or only when the inspiration hits you?
I paint almost everyday and If I am not painting I am framing or doing something related to my painting, my Art is a central part of me and every day is connected to it
Where is your favourite place to paint?
On a sunny day in the Cove below where I live – I can see up the coast to Wicklow Head and inland across the fields I can see The Slopes of Croghan Mountain.. And sometimes the odd seal and porpoise appears too
Which artists have most inspired you and why?
Ivon Hitchens- an English landscape painter who abstracted his landscape and simpliced his shapes and palettes yet his paintings were beautiful atmospheric and recognizable landscapes
Van Goch – for his strong use of Paint and bold colour
Turner – for his sense of Atmosphere and dreamlike paintings that seem to draw you into their mystery
What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on a large canvas 100 x 140 cm with my Palette knifes of Dalkey island with an storm clouds on the horizon
At which location (or who) would you love the opportunity to paint with?
Oh that’s a hard one! I think maybe Van Goch for his energy and bold paint, I would also be drawn to WB Yeats for the same reasons…
South of France would be nice!
Her works are in a number of collections. A full list of exhibitions can be found here.
