June 12 - July 11, 2020

“Views of the Heartland” features eleven of the Midwest's most talented landscape artists: Rodger Bechtold, Marion Coffey, Harold Gregor, Kathy Hofmann, Keith Jacobshagen, Cathy Martin, Dennis Nechvatal, William Nichols, Todd Olson, Tom Uttech, and James Winn. 

Each artist offers a unique and personal vision of the Midwest landscape.  From photography to plein air painting, the finished piece becomes an embodiment of the artist’s interpretation of the world. 

Here is a look William Nichols’ new paintings in our exhibition. 

In William Nichols' large-scale paintings, the viewer is immersed within a lushly blooming garden or a densely wooded forest. It is a contemporary look at landscape generated out of American traditions of realism. Nichols' overlaying of transparent glazes creates a rich tapestry of sensuous color and texture.

Elements found in Nichols’ work include an intense focus on a close-up of a landscape rather than a large-scale vista, and a methodical application of paint that allows for incredible detail and abstraction. The atmospheric quality of light in his painting provides a great sense of realism, especially when viewed from afar. His masterful paintings bridge realism with impression and abstraction.

Born in Chicago, William Nichols grew up enjoying the outdoors of northern Wisconsin, an experience that continues to influence his work. He studied at the University of Chicago and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he received his BFA. He later earned his MFA at the University of Illinois and continued his graduate studies at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College in London as a Fulbright-Hayes Scholar. He spent his teaching career as a professor of art at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

Nichols’ work is represented in collections throughout the country including: Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI; J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Collection at the Illinois Governor's Mansion, Springfield, IL; Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C.; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK; Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID; Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH; Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL; The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA; Taft Museum, Cincinnati, OH, among many others.

The thing I try my utmost to accomplish is creating a meaningful experience for whoever views my work. Making this happen involves many choices, from the subject I choose,  how I interpret what I see and then making that visible with my choice of materials and how I put them to work along with the limited vocabulary of the visual arts .

-William Nichols

[I] am trying to visibly make unseen things become visible and felt.

ALONG COUNTY ROAD

Oil on Linen

42 x 54”

In all art forms that are good, truthful and interesting, it is important to have balance, the kind that mimics the human condition. Dark against light, warm against cool, ambiguity against clarity texture against flatness in a rhythmic way.

RIVER HILLS (SLOW STREAM)

Oil on Linen

52 x 66"

If I have attempted to do anything fresh as a landscape painter it is that experience of stopping to look at what can be just around us if we take the time to see it. Most of the images I have painted are from fairly mundane and innocent locations that are often overlooked but exist right around us.

To see more of William Nichols’ available work, please click HERE