Nicki Mayne
Contemporary figurative artist
Contemporary figurative artist
Nicki Mayne is a figurative artist based in Sussex, England, working in oil paint and gouache. She graduated with a BA (hons) degree in Fine Art Painting from Kingston University in 1990, but had a break to bring up her children before returning to painting in 2016. Recent exhibitions include the Mall Galleries and 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.
Her work frequently has a personal connection to her life and she often paints the people and surroundings that are important to her. A current theme is exploring the fragility of life and the vulnerabilities and complexities of being human. Alongside her artistic practice, Nicki works part-time as a support worker for older people, and finds that the connections she forms helps balance her life as an artist.
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 intimate paintings that draw the viewer in. She has been influenced over the years by many painters, including David Bomberg, Lucian Freud, Andrew James and Gwen John.
Her work frequently has a personal connection to her life and she often paints the people and surroundings that are important to her. A current theme is exploring the fragility of life and the vulnerabilities and complexities of being human. Alongside her artistic practice, Nicki works part-time as a support worker for older people, and finds that the connections she forms helps balance her life as an artist.
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 intimate paintings that draw the viewer in. She has been influenced over the years by many painters, including David Bomberg, Lucian Freud, Andrew James and Gwen John.