Sue Nichol

My love of the sea stems from my childhood. I was born in Hartlepool on the North East coast and visited the little fishing village of Staithes often, as I still do today. The fishing cobles to be found on the North East coast serve as my models. They have a unique shape that reflects their Viking heritage, being clinker built with a rounded belly, flat stern and pointed bow. They are a challenge to paint but mine have all been pronounced sea worthy by the local fishermen. A great compliment indeed. I find constant inspiration in the sea in all its moods and it is a subject to which I am invariably drawn, striving always to capture its movement and strength, which I find both fascinating and frightening. The wild hills and moors of North Yorkshire and Derbyshire provide a different challenge and I love to paint them as they are exposed to the extremes and intensity of light. I try to capture a particular atmosphere created, sometimes fleetingly, by swiftly changing weather.