Askrigg Studios :: Yorkshire Dales :: Paintings and Prints

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Robert Nicholls - Yorkshire-based Painter :: landscapes and wildlife

  • Yorkshire painter Robert Nicholls

Robert worked in illustration and design before moving to Wensleydale in 1973. He lives and works in Askrigg, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, specialising for many years in commissioned paintings with a variety of landscapes, often including wild or domestic animals and birds.

He has exhibited widely, his work is held in many private collections around the world, has won several national competitions, and his pastels were selected to feature in the prestigious book The Yorkshire Dales - a view from the Millennium, and also in The Yorkshire Dales, a 50th anniversary celebration of the National Park.

As a country artist with detailed knowledge of his subject, he is renowned for the drawing and finish of his work, which reflects a richness of light and detail.

Dales farmers have often asked him to paint portraits of their prize sheep and cattle, and he is inspired by the events he witnesses in the countryside. From grouse to trout, his skill reveals his close affinity with the Dales environment.

"I've seen the aurora borealis, shivering, cold, immense,
And above the scars of Ellerkin, moor owls dancing in the sun.
I've watched witch familiars boxing under the moon,
And coneys swimming in a dub
I've felt the hot wet sun making brilliant rainbows
Twice over the winding river Yore.
Here. now."

Sometimes he allows his imagination to take him further and his work then takes on a dreamlike quality.

"In my recent watercolours I am exploring the textural qualities of paper and paint, creating depth, light and movement. I enjoy experimenting with the cutting, tearing and weaving of the paper, and watching the glowing watercolour as it flows freely over the surfaces."

He was a founder member of the Askrigg Group Exhibition which was held for 25 years during August, first in Askrigg and later in Hawes.

His paintings feature in the book Climb up to the Moor and were part of the Touring Exhibition.