Inspired by Great Masters such as John Singer Sargent, Renoir, Monet, Gainsborough and Turner, artist Nicky has guided her brush to interpret vivid landscapes and portraits of Paris, London, Venice, New York and most recently, Montreal—an extension of her Aristocrats series.

Artist Nicky’s fascination with the art and aristocracy of the 18th and 19th centuries has imbued her recent work with a decadence that invites onlookers to put on their finest robes, gorge on flaked pastry topped with whipping cream and clap merrily, as a royal poodle jumps upon a silk-draped lap.

Marquis, Pages, Dukes, Duchesses, Kings and Queens float out of the artist’s carefully curated research library and onto the canvas before her. Thick, unctuous pigment is layered in broad, audacious strokes, invoking the style of the impressionists. One can all but hear classical airs lilting in the background.

The Aristocrats series is the culmination of 17 years of painting, which began when Nicky came to Montreal from her birth-town of Vernon, British Columbia. Painting has since been a means for the artist to slip away from the present, in order to tap into a historic era and mood she loves.

Keen to explore environment as much as her human subjects, Nicky also captures the unique essence of world cities. Her most recent undertaking is a series of paintings of Montreal.