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Nicole Ours' art career began when she was old enough to hold a
crayon. Continuing with Dr. Torme Pasto's encouragement to paint in oils,
Nicole gained focus, skill, and flow from Dr. Chuira Obata while growing
under mentorship from Ralph Ducasse as she earned her B.A. in Fine Arts at
Mills College.
Being heavily involved in her careers as a special educator, author,
parent and grandparent meant Nicole had to steal time for fine art, and
only in media less demanding of time and space than oil paint.
With the completion of her Sea Ranch studio in 2000, Nicole returned to
painting in oil and started her evolution as a mature artist. The rich and
subtle beauties of the North Coast, and now the land and vineyards near her
new home in Santa Rosa provide constant inspiration for both plein air and
studio paintings.
The heart of Nicole's painting is relationships. Whether painting
portraits of people, animals, plants, places, or objects, it is the
artist's relationship to the subject and her relationships within the acts
of painting that give her work depth, power, and meaning.
The intensity of her creative process and study of the work of master
artists, past and present, propel Nicole's work to greater expressiveness
and presence. Color is a hallmark of Nicole's painting. Her passionate
respect and enjoyment of her subjects and of painting resonates as her
skills and vision grow.
Nicole's prize-winning art is found in collections throughout the
United States and Canada. Her work will be featured in August '04 at the
Dolphin Gallery in Gualala and during the 2004 Studio Discovery Tour at
the studio of Barbara Kelley.
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