Gary Nicholls is a technical artist with a camera rather than a photographer. He sees the image in his mind then sets about taking all the images to create what he has visualised. This takes Nicholls all over the world to get elements for each composition. Deliberately, Nicholls art tells a story, whether it is a 6 image series or a 450 page trilogy. He is inspired by the way Caravaggio and Vermeer were able to focus the viewer on the subject of their art by the use of light. This realisation completely changed the way he worked. Dali made Nicholls realise that if you can imagine it, you can create it, you just need to learn how.
Nicholls explores the darker side of life to evoke feelings and emotions in his work and tends to create series of themed images, each to usher the viewer into the sacred arena that is his imagination, challenging them to fantasize about a magical space that is the theatre of art.
Self-taught or art school?
I was a design technology and graphics teacher in a SW London School in the early 80’s so I have a design background. My father was a photographer and taught me from the age of 3 to use a camera. However, it was not until 2007 that I bought my first digital DSLR and the world of photoshop opened up. I had a one-day photoshop course with Glyn Dewis and from then on I am self- taught. I studied the way that light creates mood, in particular the way that Caravaggio and Vermeer used light in their art. I watched countless films and period dramas to see how the director used light to tell the story through cinemagraphic imagery.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
Given I have mentioned Vermeer you would be forgiven to think that I would choose ‘The Girl with the Pearl Earring’, but you would be wrong! It is impossible to pick just one from the 34 paintings he created ‘The Geographer’, ‘The Astonomer’ ‘Woman Holding a Balance’ and of course ‘The Art of Painting’ are all inspirational pieces. Young Woman with a Water Pitcher is my favourite. Vermeer achieved near-photorealism with a paintbrush almost two hundred years before the camera was invented. Quite remarkable. His rendering of light and shadow remain undeniably masterful and learning shadow creation was the most difficult part of my work. Caravaggio was a master story teller using light, hence my obsession with their work.
How would you describe your style?
Some of my work has that ‘old masters’ feel, using particular photoshop techniques to create a painterly look and feel. But my style is all about detail in every section of my imagery. My work is printed on Chromelux Aluminium sheet, which although expensive is worth every penny. It creates a luminescence reminiscent of the Painters I admire, but with a modern technique. As a photographer, you would use depth of field to create depth in images, I don’t because I use light to give my images a 3D look and printing on metal helps with that and it brings out vivid colours and enhances detail. For some of my non steampunk images I have taken lines from literature or songs and then create the images that that line generates in my mind for example.
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
The last line of the previous answer leads nicely to this question! I am extremely fortunate that I can ‘see’ the final image long before I pick up my camera. I do not sketch it out as I just know what the end result should look like. I then go wherever I need to in the world to photograph the elements I need to build that image. The next step is the people in the shot. I direct them as though they are in a film, setting up the studio and lighting to match the setting I have created from the multitude of pictures I have taken. For example one of my street scenes is 600 hours work with 37 buildings from all over the UK and 150 people going about their daily business, all photographed individually. It is over 2000 in photoshop and the final print is a 48” x 19” metal print.
Is narrative important within your work?
My work is all about narrative. I am a visual storyteller, an artist with a camera. My creation, The Imaginarium is a 450 image trilogy telling a very dark story. Book one has 150 steampunks in the images, book 2 (released next year) will have 500 and the final part will have 4,000 steampunk from all over the world in one Lord of the Rings style shot. The story follows 42 characters and their stories but the whole trilogy is all about a box and it’s contents which weaves it’s way through the books. The whole story is from my mind and as I create each image I write the narrative to go with it. However, there is so much more in each image that is not written. It is up to the viewer to work it out! The book has been printed at the highest print level with each image spot varnished. It was important to me that the quality reflected my metal prints. There are only 1,000 copies all numbered and certified and that number stays with your for all three books, creating a personal collection for each purchaser. So far over 600 of the 1000 copies have sold which for a first book is excellent.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
I think I have mentioned Caravaggio and Vermeer more than enough! I think my work is also influenced by the likes of Leonardo Da Vinci in that it is multi layered and very technical. But I like current little known artists mostly, in that there are some very imaginative and creative people out there who never really get seen, but are quite brilliant.
What or who inspires your art?
People, their quirks, their creativity and how they interact with each other. Steampunk has had the greatest influence. I visited The Asylum Steampunk festival in Lincoln in 2012. It is now the largest steampunk festival in the world. I knew that day that I had found what I was looking for and my work centres around that. In addition, it is the technical aspects of art. I think of an image and then try and work out how on earth I am going to create it, which is actually the best part for me.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
I have a studio in Old Hatfield that is just a room with my rolls of background hanging on the wall. I always shoot on a 50% grey background to enable me to cut out the figures correctly and control the lighting. I have numerous lights and modifiers and I use a Cannon 5D MK IV and high quality lenses for all my work. I then have a room at home that is my photoshop studio, which has two 5K monitors with a high spec PC linked to a NAS system of storing all my work, which is backed up online.
Do you have any studio rituals?
Not a ritual as such much more of a workflow. For a shoot it is setting up lights and being tethered to a laptop to instantly view the image. In photoshop I always go through the same processes and layers in the same order, all in a non-destructive way. No erasing, but masking out sections.
What are you working on currently?
The second volume of The Imaginarium Trilogy – work finalising the images had to stop in March due to not being able to have my studio running. Plus the printers all stopped, meaning getting the book published is an issue until next year.
Where can we buy your art?
I have exhibitions throughout a normal year! I am part of the Steampunk Emporium at MCM Comic Cons, the Asylum Steampunk festival and Steampunks in Space at The National Space Centre. I also have a large stand at next May’s Sussex Art Fair at Goodwood. But generally my art is for sale on my website www.g-n-p.co.uk and the book is sold on another one of my websites www.imaginariumtrilogy.co.uk – on social media I am @artimaginarium on all platforms.
