Nicki Mayne
Contemporary figurative artist
Nicki Mayne is a figurative artist based in Sussex, England, working in oil paint and gouache. She has a BA (hons) degree in Fine Art Painting from Kingston University and exhibits widely both in Sussex and nationally. Recent exhibitions include the Mall Galleries, Royal Academy in London and Patchings Art Centre in Nottingham. She is a winner of The Artist Exhibition Award at the 2025 TALP Open 2025.
Nicki's artwork tends to have a personal connection to her life and the people and places around her. The fragility of life is a major thread running through her work, and she is interested in exploring the vulnerabilities and complexities of being human in a changing world. She is particularly drawn to the human figure, using it as a means to explore the emotional connections between individuals and their environments. Alongside her artistic practice, Nicki works part-time supporting vulnerable people and finds that this role enriches her artwork, as it feeds directly into her exploration of the human experience.
Working from life is an important part of her practice. Her more narrative driven works begin from life, then develop through her imagination to create believable pictorial worlds. She aims to paint with a light touch, using soft brushwork and subtle colour shifts to create quiet restrained paintings. She has been influenced over the years by many painters, including David Bomberg, Lucian Freud and Gwen John.
Nicki's artwork tends to have a personal connection to her life and the people and places around her. The fragility of life is a major thread running through her work, and she is interested in exploring the vulnerabilities and complexities of being human in a changing world. She is particularly drawn to the human figure, using it as a means to explore the emotional connections between individuals and their environments. Alongside her artistic practice, Nicki works part-time supporting vulnerable people and finds that this role enriches her artwork, as it feeds directly into her exploration of the human experience.
Working from life is an important part of her practice. Her more narrative driven works begin from life, then develop through her imagination to create believable pictorial worlds. She aims to paint with a light touch, using soft brushwork and subtle colour shifts to create quiet restrained paintings. She has been influenced over the years by many painters, including David Bomberg, Lucian Freud and Gwen John.
