WORDS —
Jamie Christian Desplaces
Erstwhile aspiring rock star Christian Nicolson got closer than most to realising his youthful dream (“I made it on to the radio!”) but has since turned his vast and varied creative eye to producing achingly cool, pop art-inspired paintings and evocative landscapes, with a little filmmaking on the side.
Verve sat down with the Auckland painter, sculptor, photographer, and award-winning magazine designer.
“I have found design incredibly useful,” he says. “I initially wanted to go to art, rather than design, school, but it didn’t happen that way and it turned out to be the best thing ever. It’s funny how fate sometimes intervenes. Design taught me about composition, about balance, symmetry – and asymmetry – and how colours work together. Having that background has certainly made my painting stronger.”
However, the painter admits that design didn’t quite sate his creative soul. “I remember once looking proudly through my portfolio, then getting to the end and thinking, you know, ‘That’s just an ad for a chainsaw.’ It was great for what it was, and was used internationally, but in terms of what I wanted to achieve in life, it didn’t feel like it was enough. I knew I had more inside that I wasn’t exploring, and if I didn’t do something about it, I’d always live to regret it. So, I decided to exhibit some work that I’d been slowly chipping away at for many years.”
Christian had already begun to dip his toes into the artworld. In 2002, in true punk spirit (more on that later), the renegade artist controversially installed 50 handmade giant toi tois near the Auckland Harbour Bridge (“they threatened to throw me in jail and all sorts if I didn’t remove them!”), an (illegal) exhibition that helped kick-start his career.
His design training also goes beyond influencing the practicalities of his painting, he adds, helping him “focus ideas” while exploring “concepts that generate things in a way that connects with the audience”. These include a liberal use of pop culture icons like Star Wars characters, James Dean, and The Fonz.
“I’m quite nostalgic. And I love combining screen printing with painting, in a quite loose kind of way. I find it really exciting. I love the way Andy Warhol did his thing, so there are those sorts of influences that come into my work, and pop culture is something that a lot of people can relate to quite easily.”
Is part of your mission to make art more accessible to more people?
“I think a sense of humour is important. So much art goes over people’s heads and often doesn’t relate to everyday folk. Having worked in advertising for many years, my job was all about communication, ensuring that the audience was in on the joke or whatever the message may have been. I like people to ‘get it’.”
There’s a big punk element to your work too?
“Yeah, I’ve always liked that stuff and I’m quite loose and fast with my style. During my design days, I looked to street art and degenerate typography and those sorts of things. My paintings often have a grungy look, a grungy feel. And some of the subjects have been punk-related, depending on whatever it is I’m doing.”
Do you think art should always have a message?
“I don’t think that’s necessary. I have a lot of things that I’d like to say, some of which I choose to say through my art, but not always. A lot of the time, I try to remind people of the nice things, things that should be celebrated. Even when I’ve had a bit of whinge, I’ve tried to spin it in a more positive light. There has to be a balance. I want the audience to feel things, but in a way that is visually stimulating.”
Did you grow up in a creative environment?
“I grew up in in an environment which encouraged me to be whatever I wanted to be from an early age. I remember my mum buying me a little easel and pots of paint. My dad was also an artist when I was younger, and I remember admiring his paintings. I was always drawing. It was a very sporty environment as well. I loved being outdoors, doing my thing.”
Christian’s admiration for the great outdoors is clear in his stunning landscapes, most of which, he reveals, are favourite surfing spots.
“It’s a favourite pastime, and usually the reason I’m at the beach – just chasing surf,” he adds. “It was a big part of my upbringing and remains a big part of my soul.”
Find out more about Christian and his work at christiannicolson.co.nz
