Chris Nicholls was born in East Melbourne in 1947 and grew up in rural Victoria. He trained as an artist at Caulfield Institute of Technology before qualifying as a teacher, and taught art and photography for 10 years in Shepparton and Horsham before resigning to become a full-time artist.
While living and working in the Wimmera he had several exhibitions at Horsham Regional Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Ballarat and Ararat Art Gallery.
Chris’ landscapes often contain autobiographical elements and are imbued with a sense of melancholy. They reveal the artist’s strong connection with the natural world and concern for the havoc which human occupation has wreaked on the environment. His intense images are often almost monochrome or earth-toned, dark and brooding with bold, expressive gestures and rich textures.
Curriculum Vitae
1947
1965 - 1966
1966
1967 - 1968
1969 - 1970
1971
1971 - 1980
1985
1986
1987
1990
1993
1994
1999
2003
2010
2010
Born in Melbourne, grew up in country Victoria
Commenced Certificate of Art Diploma - Awarded teaching studentship
Group exhibition, Shepparton Art Gallery
Painting diploma, Caulfield Technical College
Group exhibition, Argus Gallery, Melbourne
Group exhibition, Shepparton Art Gallery
Exhibition of drawings, Hawthorn City Gallery
Diploma of Education, Technical Teachers College, Hawthorn
Art teaching, Victorian Education Department
“Northern Grampians Landscapes” solo exhibition, Horsham Art Gallery
”053 Exhibition,” Group Exhibition, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, Horsham Art Gallery and Ararat Art Gallery. With Peter Blizzard, Richard Collis, Anne Davis, Elwyn Dennis, R.G.( Ben )Gunn, Graeme MacGregor, Sheridan Palmer, Jon Quinn, Ewen Ross, Jacki Staude and Lisa Vendy. Curated by Margaret Rich
‘Divergent Images’, contemporary landscapes, group exhibition, with Graham Brindley, Steve Davidson, Martin Jones, Ron Quick, Sue Quinlan, Noela Strafford and Bruce Vinnall. Ararat Gallery
‘Beyond The Boundary’ Group exhibition, with Cate Whitehead, Alexandra Lyall and Peter Whitehead. Curated by Elspeth McEachearn. Horsham Art Gallery
Paintings exhibited at Lyall Burton Gallery, Fitzroy
‘The Isolated Performer’ Group exhibition, with Marian Anderson, Alexandra Lyall, Ewen Ross, Alex Delahunty, Peter Whitehead, Trevor Taglibue, Graham Brindley. Curated by Brian Allison. Horsham Art Gallery
‘Voices Of The Region’ Group exhibition, with Amabile Dalfarra- Smith, Edward Dyas, James Garrett, Rosemary Kingsmill, Alex Lyall, and Graeme Tressider. Curated by Merle Hathaway. Horsham Regional Art Gallery
‘Landmarks’ with painter Graham Brindley. Horsham Regional Art Gallery. Curated by Merle Hathaway
Exhibition planned for Australian Galleries
Died of a brain tumour
"The past is a track I travel often. Wandering inland creeks and rivers, clambering over fallen trees, their massive root systems exposed, providing dark resting places for secret dreaming.
"Having lived out here in this southeast corner of the Wimmera for 31 years, I acknowledge the deep need I have had all my life to stay connected to the land. This area is precious in that it has remnant trees and grasses, long gone in similar farming country. There is evidence here of past Aboriginal culture, on the trunks of trees and in the loose sandy edges of the road.
"Once a week a large mechanical mule comes down the road and up-ends our wheelie-bin. Hardly isolation. I walk across the road and watch freight trains, loaded with shipping containers from around the world, go rumbling over the crossing. Not isolation but inspiration."
Chris Nicholls
