Mixed media, collage and pastel are the mediums of choice for artist Karole Nicholson. Since completing graphic and advertising design studies at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1995, she has participated in many master level workshops with esteemed instructors in the United States, UK and Europe, all in pursuit of a higher level of skill. Her paintings have appeared in many national juried exhibitions and international competitions. She holds exhibiting artist memberships in the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative, North River Art Society Art in the Atrium - Providence and the Attleboro Arts Museum. Past memberships include the Collage Artists of America, Abstract'd Art Collective, Providence Art Club, Pastel Society of America, Pastel Painters of Cape Cod, Connecticut Pastel Society and the New Hampshire Pastel Society. Nicholson is represented by the Next Door Gallery in Mansfield MA.
Her works has appeared in Pastel Journal and in the Artists Magazine’s 37th Annual All Media Competition with an honorable mention in the Abstract/Experimental Category. Most recently she is a featured collage artist in Art and Color 365 Magazine Fall/Winter 2023 with digital and print editions.
Since she works exclusively in mixed media collage, specifically working in an abstracted, and contemporary landscape style, Karole has studied in person and online with Theresa Girard, Jenny Nelson, Nicholas Wilton, Louise Fletcher, Kevin Gilmore and Alice Sheridan to name a few.
Foremost in the subject matters that Karole chooses to paint are intimate scenes of the local landscape which is fading fast as the need for housing increases. Texture, a gentle palette and an abstract view of the her environment are the components that draw her into developing each painting. She often incorporates the use of various collage materials such as newspapers, maps, dress patterns, blueprints, cardboard, sand paper, gift wrap, hand made papers, tissue paper, rice paper, old music sheets and old catalogs. Once these archival recycled materials are coupled with acrylic paints, inks, transparent washes and water based pencils, the final canvas is sealed with matte medium and varnished. It is then that the painting asks for a signature.
