About Nick Aston

Since his early childhood, the Hampshire-based British artist Nick Aston has been fascinated with plants. His experiences and expertise in this filed is expressed through his lively, color-filled art, the paintings themselves visual… Read more

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Work Info

These works are distinguished by their captivating interplay of shadow, light and densely layered fore- and background elements, where illuminated flowers are framed by the jagged silhouettes of leaves and stems. Nick Aston highlights weeds and grasses that are often ignored in floral art, creating vivid botanical paintings with the unlikeliest of subjects. The resulting paintings are expressive celebrations of color and form.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Since his early childhood, the Hampshire-based British artist Nick Aston has been fascinated with plants. His experiences and expertise in this filed is expressed through his lively, color-filled art, the paintings themselves visual expressions of the artist’s botanical excursions.

This effect is in part due to Aston’s use of real plant matter and dried flowers in his creative process. He spreads these across the canvas before applying layers of spray paint.

The artworks therefore inherit the organic growth patterns of their botanical subjects, coming together in an unpredictable, independent manner. Aston tempers this unbound spontaneity with a practiced eye for balance and composition. The colors he uses are at odds with their natural subjects, creating in vibrant, enchanting new worlds on the canvas.

Through Aston’s eyes, the world of botanical art is vividly reimagined: his graphic color palette varies from emerald greens and deep reds to neon pinks and yellows. These vivid contrasts create a daringly modern effect – the resulting paintings recall everything from Matisse to Braque to traditional Japanese woodcutting. Aston’s body of work reflects his unique artistic vision and shines a bold new light on the plant kingdom.

VITA

1973	Born in the Isle of Wight, UK
2019	Master's Degree Fine Art, University of Arts London, UK

Exhibitions

Group Exhibitions

2022	Ruin, Way Out East Gallery, London, UK
2021	The Stuff, The Bowie Gallery, Totnes, UK Ruin, Poola Gallery, Poola, Crotia
2019	Squeezed, Nunnery gallery, London, UK