Nicola Slattery RBA

Born in Coventry in 1963 and graduated from Coventry Art College in 1986 with a BA (Hons.) in Fine Art. She has worked as a professional artist and tutor since that time. For several years she lived in Oxford and was an active member of Oxford Printmakers and also The Oxford Art Society. She now lives in rural south Norfolk in a converted barn. In March 2015 she was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists.

Her enigmatic paintings have been described as being populated with “archetypal figures of compelling enigmatic inwardness” (Philip Vann 2015) and are characterised by what the artist calls ‘this thoughtful peacefulness’. Sister Wendy Beckett, Television art commentator said of her work, “This is magical art, pure, humorous and strong”. (March 2007).

To quote one of her local critics, “One could call Nicola Slattery’s work ‘haunting’ and ‘surreal’ and it certainly is both but her images also have a certain quality that defies analysis, and which brings one back to look at them again and again.” Nicola’s subjects are almost exclusively figurative and are inspired by events or emotions experienced or imagined. Her art has a distinct style and quality which is becoming increasingly recognised across the United Kingdom and also in Europe and the USA. In her own words, “Art is always about meaning but the best art allows its meaning to be interpreted differently by differing individuals. Art comes from imagination and it is to the imagination that it should speak”. Perhaps partly because of this, Nicola’s art is used by psychotherapists, including practitioners in Israel and USA. It also features on the covers of several poetry books including the “House of Small Absences” by Anne-Marie Fyfe (2015)

Nicola’s work has been exhibited widely both in the UK and in Europe and examples are held in many corporate and public collections as well as by private individuals. Selected group exhibitions include the New English Art Club, RBA and the RA Summer Exhibition. In 2014 she was the recipient of an Alfred Daniels Award for narrative painting presented by Andrew Marr at the Mall Galleries London.