Nottingham artist Nicola Halford gives us the lowdown on her glass panel painting...
This is my take on a piece by local artist Buster Fisher. The collaboration came about after contacting Buster for a bit of artistic advice last year. He was very helpful and complimentary of my work, and suggested that I take one of his lions to make a piece of glass art. I was totally up for the challenge as his work is amazing and I knew it would be difficult to create.
Painting on glass panels was just an idea I had one day back in 2014. I’d painted some glasses and vases back in college, but never tried making glass wall art and hadn’t seen anyone do it at the time, so I consider myself to be self-taught.
It all started with simple designs. I didn’t really think I was doing anything special until some friends came round one Saturday night, saw my work and asked how much I’d charge for my paintings. I was blown away. I then started to design pictures of my own, and complete commissions for friends and family.
I love what I do; not only is it great for my mental health, but others get enjoyment from my art too. I find it extremely therapeutic; I once painted for fourteen hours straight, and time just flew. I was in the moment. I guess it’s like mindfulness meditation for me.
I have sent my paintings all over the UK and across the globe, as far as Dubai and Sydney. One of my pieces even won an award, getting first prize at the Nottingham Institute of Mental Health Exhibition 2017. I’ve also donated two of my paintings in the last eight months to raise money for charities.
Things have progressed and I create wall art as well as installations, including an opportunity to create six kitchen cabinet panels for a couple in Chicago. I’ve also started to facilitate workshops; I love showing people how it’s done and seeing the development of others using this medium.
Collaborating with other artists is great, not only because of the challenge of trying out new techniques to keep with the original vision, but the collaborative artists seeing their pieces on glass brings a new element to them. Last year, I collaborated with Derby artist Jack Esposito and Emma Yeomans, the Nottingham illustrator. It’s great bouncing ideas off other creative people and it really helps to keep a good creative flow going.
This piece is up for grabs in a competition running on Buster Fisher's Facebook page
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