Selby Fleetwood Gallery

NICHOLAS WILTON

BORN: San Francisco, CA, 1961

EDUCATION:

1983-1986 Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA, BFA

1979-1983 College of Creative Studies, University of Santa Barbara, CA


“My paintings are an expression of my deep interest and close examination of nature. Observing, photographing and sketching in wilderness areas of Northern California provides me with the studies that initiate and inform my work. Arranging and composing renderings from life into abstract compositions and groupings provides the underlying structure of my paintings. In them, natural forms are shown juxtaposed with abstract and spontaneous marks and shapes. My process combines intuitive painting with fundamental principles of color harmony, juxtaposition of form and excavated texture. The resulting work, often called "contemporary organic" addresses the spiritual potency of Nature, and celebrates the fragile balance between the natural and developed world in which we live.”
Nicholas Wilton, 2006

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:

Selby Fleetwood Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004
Gallatin River Gallery, Big Sky, MO 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001, 2000
Fresh Paint Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2006
Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM 2006
Center For the Arts, Jackson Hole, WY 2006
Solo Exhibition, Kyobashi Center, Tokyo, Japan 2005, 2000
Zeitgeist Gallery, Nashville, TN 2003
Ritter Benefit Exhibition San Rafael, CA 2001
Society of Illustration, New York City, NY 1999
Olga Dolar Gallery, San Francisco, CA 1996, 1994, 1993
Susan Cummins Gallery / M.A.C., Mill Valley, CA 1995
Marin Arts Council, Corte Madera, CA 1994, 1993
San Geronimo Cultural Center, San Geronimo, CA 1994
Solo Exhibition, Agnes Bourne Showroom, San Francisco, CA 1993
Gallery Route One, Point Reyes, CA 1993

AWARDS:

2003 Cover and featured in the international art annual, Communication Arts
Print Magazine
New York Art Directors Club
AIGA
RSVP Directory
American Illustration
1995 Grant Recipient, Marin Art’s Council

PUBLICATIONS:

Southwest Art Magazine, 2007
Art Interview Online, 2007
Focus Magazine, 2006
Estero Magazine
Rough Magazine
Cover art: The Four Agreements, The Mastery of Love, The Four Agreements Calendar, 2005, books written by Don Miguel Ruiz

COLLECTIONS:

Birkenstock
Beringer Wine
Celebrity Cruise Line
Shinsei Bank , Japan

ARTIST’S BIOGRAPHY:

Nicholas Wilton attended the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and graduated from Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, California. Rich in color, texture and symbols, Wilton's work references a personal vocabulary of botanical forms, patterns and abstract designs. He is intrigued by both the complex and the simple nature of plant forms.

In his paintings he presents both abstract and representational
elements in subtle arrangements that allow the fragility and power to be more easily seen. His paintings display the precarious harmony existing in moments of time. His work offers a unique visual experience created with oil paint, wax, plaster and various abrasive materials on panels.

Wilton is also the founder of the Artplane Method, a system of fundamental painting and intuition principles which simplifies and informs the creative art-making process. He leads weeklong Artplane seminars and workshops for arts organizations and corporate clients both here in the States and abroad.

In addition to gallery exhibitions and the inclusion in numerous private collections, Nicholas Wilton's paintings have appeared on numerous book covers. Wilton's cover painting used for the national bestseller "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz, appeared on the The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Wilton lives in northern California with his wife and two daughters. His paintings are represented by Dolby Chadwick Gallery in San Francisco, CA and Selby Fleetwood Gallery in Santa Fe, NM.