Exhibition runs until May 16th. Opening reception Friday, April 5th, 7-12 pm at 1110 Dundas St. W.
Bryce Nicholson’s “Inside Out; A Retrospective ” is not merely a collection of portraits; it’s an unsettling journey into the depths of the human psyche. Prepare to confront the uncanny as Nicholson peels back the layers of reality, revealing the hidden landscapes of the self through a potent blend of surrealism and psychological insight.
A Vision of the Unconscious
Nicholson’s artistic practice is found in the pursuit of the unseen. “I paint parts of those they can’t see themselves,” he declares, his focus on the relationship between form and colour. His figures contort the constraints of the physical world, reflecting his fascination with the dissonance between perception and reality.
His inspiration stems from the ordinary, using daily life as a springboard for his creative process.”I’m more often than not a people watcher,” he confesses, “I’ll park myself in a public area with plenty of foot traffic.” These everyday observations are then transformed through a process of alchemical distillation, emerging as surreal visions that both fascinate and intrigue.
The Process
Nicholson’s artistic process is a captivating blend of intuition and calculated chaos. “When I start a painting,” he explains, “I tend to start with a thin wash of colour to the canvas and then a thin brush coupled with a deep shade of blue to slash the canvas,” laying the groundwork for a complex interplay of light and shadow.
But what happens when the creative well runs dry? Nicholson tackles creative blocks with a characteristic blend of pragmatism and impulsive action. “Besides learning to create daily, I’m an avid traveler,” he reveals. “I once booked a flight to Paris because I didn’t know what to create. I definitely cured my artist block during that trip.” This anecdote underscores a deeper truth: inspiration comes from unexpected changes we make.
The Birth of a Style
A pivotal moment in Nicholson’s artistic journey arrived with the creation of “The Moment After, 2023..” “I felt that with this painting I truly discovered my style,” he shares, referring to the work’s bold exploration of the emotional and physical aftermath of an intimate encounter.
His artistic evolution has been a testament to the power of experimentation and the courage to embrace the unknown. “I began my career with hyperrealistic charcoal and graphite drawings… I decided in 2020 that I would try oil painting without using references,” he recounts. “Lots of trial and error, being unhappy with outcomes and more often than not would paint over my creations or bury them in a closet somewhere.” Through artistic trial and error, pivotal moments led to a unique visual language, both confident and undeniably personal.
Nicholson’s perspective on audience reception is refreshingly direct, bordering on defiant. “I don’t care what my audience feels, but I’d be happy to know that they feel something/anything,” he states. His paintings, he believes, possess an inherent life force, “a soul that reacts and interacts with the world around it.”
A Word to the Wise
For aspiring artists, Nicholson offers blunt advice: “Don’t stop creating. Don’t be stagnant. Your one viewer/collector away from stardom and if you stop, that’s one road bump in front of you changing your life.” And for those seeking to navigate the competitive Toronto art scene, he suggests a more radical approach: “I haven’t cracked that code yet,” he admits. “I suggest you try to make enough money to take a chance on yourself and move to the Big 3 (LA, New York, Miami). It could change your life.”
Inside Out; A Retrospective is not for the faint of heart. It’s an invitation to confront the unsettling beauty of the human condition, to peer into the abyss of the subconscious, and to emerge transformed.
