© 2008-2022 Nicki Black
GALLERY UPDATES: I'm always in the process of updating my various galleries, so it's likely you may not see all of my portfolio online. I'm currently redoing my individual acrylic/watercolor, encaustic, and sketch galleries, which will include the details of the artwork. I'm also adding new links for special installations or projects, so all of those pages will be viewable soon. I invite you to check back often to view what's new.
ART FOR SALE, AND COMMISSIONS: Much of my artwork is for sale as prints. When I'm painting for live events/en plein air, the piece I'm working on may not be available at the time of the event if I'm not done with it yet. Some of my art may be part of a larger series or a panel of a diptych or triptych. In those cases, I will complete the series or panels before originals are available for sale. I also prayerfully consider painting pieces on commission to see if I'll be a good fit for your request. The turnaround on commissions vary.
PRINT TYPES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN STOCK: Sold individually or in sets as stock allows, I have many paintings in stock as 4" X 6" archival chromogenic photographic lustre prints, inset on white 80 lb., acid-free, and frameable notecards. Each notecard is wrapped in an acid-free clear sleeve, and comes with a matching envelope. On occasion I will also have some lustre prints available on a black notecard, or mounted in wood frames, inventory pending.
PRINT TYPES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR A CUSTOM ORDER: + Archival chromogenic photographic prints in glossy, lustre, semi-matte and metallic*
+ Giclee fine art prints in deep matte and somerset velvet, unframed
+ Giclee fine art prints on wrapped canvas with a protective coating, stretched on a 5/8" frame. Wrapped canvas has a white edge around the sides of the frame.
+ Plak mounted prints on premium 1/8" hardboard or fiberboard. Each plak is ph balanced and sealed with a washable laminate, providing protection from UV light, moisture, dust, and fingerprints. Plaks come ready to hang with a keyhole on the back.
PLAK PRINTS HAVE 3 OPTIONS: 1. Classic - mounted flat to hang directly against the wall. Available in 4"x4" and larger.
2. Block - with a 3/4" frame to sit 1 inch off the wall showing the natural wood frame. Available in 8"x10" and larger.
3. Float - with a 3/4" inset frame to "float" 2 inches off of the wall, making the frame almost disappear. Available in 8"x10" and larger.
* Some paintings are not suited to metallic prints.
If you'd like more information on a specific piece you see on this page or any of my other pages, please let me know through the contact link.
I'm drawn to the door of starting with a blank backdrop and making myself quiet so I can discern the atmosphere. We're a lot like that as people. We start as a ready slate, and over the course of our lives along our unique journeys, we color our canvas with all the things that saturate us. Choose those influences very wisely, but embrace the opportunities to take risks and be bold in Christ, too!
I also find it truly remarkable to watch colors and textures converge and coalesce. Seeing the resulting uniqueness of each piece reminds me that we're all a reflection of our Creator. I talk to God when I create. He's the best art teacher I've ever had. When I paint jewelry especially, I can't duplicate any given pattern or color combination exactly. God likes to remind me that we're all so fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139.) We should spend more of our time celebrating and cultivating the way He created us, then trying to be a carbon copy of someone we were never meant to be in the first place.
I'm asked quite often if I know what I'm going to paint going into a live event/en plein air. For the same reason the worship band prays together before leading the congregation, the speaker prepares for their message, and the prophet is willing to open their mouth to impart a ready word, I get in position to hear the Lord to ask to for the clarity and sensitivity to scribe how He wants to move. Sometimes I'll have a detailed vision or dream, and other times I know He wants me to be ready with my canvas and He'll spontaneously fill it. In the necessity of focusing on scribing His flow and not trying to entertain others or be perfect, it takes the pressure away from being stuck inside my head or swayed by Man's expectations. The more we trust, the more we step out of the boat. Prophetic art partners with Holy Spirit, and carries the same anointing, revelation, confirmation, and breakthrough as worship, intercession, and the Word. Prophetic art can't be prophetic unless it's saturated with those cornerstones.
Whether during painting or afterwards, I walk as far away from the piece as I can from time to time, to see it in a new vantage. God never fails to show me new facets that I would have missed if I had stayed right on top of the canvas and surveyed from only one place. And on the other end of that paintbrush, I noticed that the fine details of a lot of my art is better seen up close than from afar. God and I have had some talks about that. He told me you have to draw near to His heart and uncouple from the noise around you to hear His heartbeat. I believe this is a truth in life, too. Being stagnant and comfortable in a box cultivates a lukewarm and false sight line. We need to live in balance, express in reverent boldness, allow the time for the revelation to breathe, and continue to ask for a deeper perspective no matter where we gather our next steps. In both - the up close and the long distance - we see a whole lot more when we're intentional to look for insight.
By the way, if you paint for live events, too, I've written some helpful tips on my blog about things I've learned over the years. If you'd like to read them, click for Helpful Tips Painting During Live Worship. |
