Nicole Gagner is an artist living and working in Bismarck, North Dakota. She studied in Georgia and California and has traveled extensively painting and drawing around the world, including painting in Utah, New Zealand and at a Voices of the Wilderness Artist Residency in Selawik, AK- but she is delighted to be living and working on the northern prairies again. She works as a teaching artist with a wide variety of students of all ages and abilities- from the very young to elders in care facilities and all in between. Her work began with VSA ND and Options Community Services, bringing art to students living with disabilities, and that has informed her practice as a teaching artist and the belief that art is for everyone.
Since the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic in March, Nicole has worked to take residencies and workshops online in a variety of ways, including zoom calls, youtube videos, NOT Paint By Number collaborative paintings, and any other way to bring art to the community, including completing a collaborative mural while maintaining safe social distancing.
Nicole’s body of artwork focuses on capturing approachable, everyday moments like veggies straight from the garden, freshly cut local flowers, or a colorful pantry full of canned food. With moments like these as a gateway to art through personal experiences, Nicole’s art becomes accessible to a wide range of individuals with different but relatable life experiences. Her vibrant color choices are not only bright and cheerful, but are also pleasant for even those with failing eyesight. In fact, the use of expressive brushstrokes and bold patches of color in place of any delicate realism adds another layer of accessibility- shaky hands or limited mobility does not need to be seen as an impediment to creating art. Learning to “play” a bit with new art materials and a newfound set of skills is a beautiful way to feel involved, engaged and empowered. The social aspect of visual arts can not be ignored- involvement in class is a wonderful way for students to connect and socialize, but so is talking about and sharing the art they have created! Engagement in the arts is truly an experience that can continue to enrich lives for a long time.
Choose from residencies below, or contact Nicole to develop a residency that matches the needs of your community:
Collaborative Murals: Work together with Nicole to design a mural that is representational of your community. Murals can be installed on walls or as a mobile, movable installation. Participants can paint directly on wall or mural can be divided into individual sections to be assembled in place like a puzzle.
Distanced Not Paint By Number Collaborations: Hand drawn painting kits can be done together or alone- each kit comes with everything needed to finish the piece (brush, paint, tips and tricks) but no one tells the painter where to put the colors- that is why it is a NOT paint by number! Drawings can be customized and the themes of the paintings can be a great conversation starter!
Kitchen Collages from Memory: Taste and smell are strongly linked to memory! We start by tasting or smelling things that prompt conversations- coffee, pickles and more! Then we will rip up and rearrange colorful paper to make our own colorful collaged versions of those memories.
Nicole displays artwork at the Bismarck Downtown Art CoOp, Bismarck Art Gallery Association and has art touring Fargo through TAP’s ArtWorks. For more examples of her artwork please visit her website: PainterNicole.com or follow PainterNicole on Facebook and Instagram. To contact with questions please email nicole.gagner@gmail.com