‘A Light in the Dark’: Paul Nicholson’s lifelong dialogue with colour, nature and the human impulse to create

London Artist Paul Nicholson opens his “A Light in the Dark” exhibition at St. Marys Station Gallery Nov. 29.

By Duncan MacDonald, St. Marys Station Gallery Executive Director

As winter’s darkest stretch settles over southwestern Ontario, the St. Marys Station Gallery is preparing to open an exhibition that feels like a much-needed antidote.

“A Light in the Dark,” featuring the work of London-based artist Paul Nicholson, arrives with the promise of bold hues, nature-inspired forms and an artistic philosophy steeped deeply in the simple yet profound human desire to make things.

Nicholson, who has been creating art since childhood, describes himself as a nature-loving artist who has never stopped experimenting. His body of work spans acrylics, oils, watercolour, ink, collage, assemblage and postcard-sized explorations. His themes – flowers, birds, maps, landscapes, self-portraits, abstracts, fruit with halos – form a vast visual diary that spans decades. Some pieces spring from sudden inspiration; others emerge from leisurely puttering, as he calls it. But all share a defining characteristic: an unapologetic embrace of colour.

“I love colour,” Nicholson says, summing up both his aesthetic and the role his work will play in a midwinter exhibition. “This show will run through the winter solstice and the darkest days of the year. We need an antidote to all of that darkness.”

This impulse toward brightness is hardly stylistic alone. It speaks to the emotional dimension of Nicholson’s practice – a practice he describes as both instinctive and enduring.

“I think making art is part of the human condition. I am, therefore I make,” he said. “I’m glad this impulse hasn’t atrophied.”

Though Nicholson has produced thousands of works over the years, much of it has seldom been seen by the public. He has sold pieces and exhibited in galleries, but he admits he was long unmotivated to share widely. Many of his pieces were made for himself or gifted quietly to friends and family. Most, he notes, simply “live in boxes.”

In 2018, that private archive reached what he calls “a fever pitch.” He culled hundreds of works – entire boxes of them – creating space both literal and mental. Yet he continued to produce. Art was simply something he did, as essential as breathing, regardless of whether the world looked on.

Now older, he finds himself less concerned about whether viewers can “decode” the autobiographical symbols within his images. This shift has opened the door to exhibitions like “A Light in the Dark,” where he shares work that once might have remained unseen.

Nicholson’s current body of work can be traced back to the 1980s, when he became more disciplined about creating. But despite that discipline – or perhaps because of it – his practice remains fluid.

“I always have my paints and other art materials close at hand,” he said. “They are an ever-present reminder that it’s always a good idea to make art.”

He now produces hundreds of small-scale works each year. Sometimes he falls into a painting rhythm; other times, a collage-making “kick.” He works from life, from photographs, or from any image that strikes him as visually compelling. His technique is layered: first a drawing, sometimes resembling a colouring-book outline; then a base coat; then a second, more refined round of paint; and finally, once dry, touches of ink to sharpen details or create texture.

He recently painted a series of cosmos flowers – examples he uses to describe his process. The progression from sketch to finished piece reveals the care and intention behind what can initially appear spontaneous.

Nicholson’s artistic lineage is eclectic. He draws inspiration from artists working in radically different media and at dramatically different scales. The collages of Nick Bantock, Joseph Cornell and Jiří Kolář influence his own love of paper and assemblage. The beauty and technical skill of painters like Frederic Leighton appeal to his sensibility even if his own work diverges from academic styles. He admires Paterson Ewen’s focus on weather and nature, Cliff Eyland’s tiny-format paintings and the virtuosity of watercolourist Liane Bedard.

He notes, cheerfully, that when he once asked ChatGPT to describe his style, it called it “post-impressionistic.” While not consciously aligned with any movement or manifesto, Nicholson acknowledges that artists inevitably absorb ideas from what they read, see and admire.

For Nicholson, art is not an optional practice but a fundamental human one. He frames it not solely as visual art, but as part of a broader creative impulse.

“People have made art across millennia and in every culture. It’s what we do,” he said. “If we aren’t expressing ourselves creatively, people are lacking something that is foundational.”

He emphasizes that creative output need not be monumental to be meaningful. Painting, singing, dancing, knitting – any form of making, he argues, satisfies a human need and enriches a life.

Visual art, he says, can play an essential social role as well; transporting viewers to a peaceful mental space, or, in the case of politically charged work, shifting public consciousness. He cites Picasso’s “Guernica” and the works of Banksy as examples of art that has shaped conversation and worldview.

Nicholson’s journey began in London, Ont., where he still lives. His parents encouraged his interest early, enrolling him in classes at the local museum and fostering a home environment where visual art mattered.

“I liked making art as a kid, and I just never stopped,” he said.

He still owns some of his earliest pieces from the 1960s – bird paintings that foreshadow not only his adult aesthetic but his ongoing passion for birdwatching.

Though he never formally studied fine art or art history, Nicholson has immersed himself in both subjects through reading, gallery-going and personal exploration. Even during the busiest periods of his life – raising children or managing work demands – he rarely stepped away from creating for long.

“If I have a show, I’ll paint every day,” he said. “It’s never a chore.”

As “A Light in the Dark” prepares to open, Nicholson and curator Duncan MacDonald aim to bring a burst of warmth and brightness to St. Marys. The timing is deliberate; as daylight dwindles, Nicholson’s love of colour becomes more than an aesthetic choice – it becomes a gesture toward joy and resilience.

In a season defined by scarcity of light, Nicholson offers abundance. Not answers, not grand theories – just colour, nature and the steadfast belief that to create is to be human.

“A Light in the Dark” by Paul Nichlson opens at the St. Marys Station Gallery on Nov. 29 and runs until Jan. 17, 2026. For more information on what is happening at the gallery, visit www.stmarystationgallery.ca.