Pastel Award 2026

Nikki Johnson

View from the A74

Jackson's Art Prize 2026
Oil Pastel, Oil Stick, Pastel
Cardboard
21 x 15.5 cm

£680

“I find inspiration in the everyday, acting on emotional and intuitive responses to whatever I happen upon. A particular view on a walk acts as a reference point and connection to a shared experience. I often draw or paint to feel connected to someone or something, a way of gaining a deeper understanding or engaging with a feeling. Through the push and pull of materials, applying and removing, form and structure give way until something starts to feel right and take hold, transforming into something other than its original form. My paintings go through a stage of loss and recovery in order to reveal themselves. Each beginning has no prescribed end. Just a starting point to explore. I use a range of techniques and mediums for their malleable and transformative qualities. Some works may come very quickly and spontaneously, like the two submissions, which were completed late at night, when looking through photos of recent time spent with family. A way of being nearer to loved ones and embedding the memory and emotions into something that exists separately to the shared experience. Other works sit until  they suggest a way forward.”