NIKKI BAXENDALE

ARTIST BIO

Following a highly successful career as an Art Director with experience working for some of the biggest brands in London, New York & L.A, Nikki has launched her career as a full time artist specializing in painting, photography and mixed media.

Starting with a degree at the University for Creative Arts in London, Nikki graduated with distinction in illustration, photography, marketing and fashion journalism. She went on to study several disciplines in photography notably the documentary style and how to really capture the heart of a story at The International Centre for Photography in New York. In addition Nikki has continued private studies with several award winning photographers as a passionate pursuit and constant desire to evolve.

After launching her career in London as a designer and buyer, Nikki moved to New York to run an International design team overseeing 50 designers in New York, Asia and Europe. For more than a decade this position as Art Director took her throughout the globe to design houses and retail groups. Working alongside and directing many talented and high level designers, magazine editors, buyers and art directors, Nikki developed a depth of knowledge in the commercial world. Always the storyteller, Nikki found her strength in leading teams and thinking outside the box. Often with grand presentations to industry giants such as Disney, Nickelodeon and leading retail companies. Nikki would delight her audience with unique and one of a kind experiences that granted her company many awards and licensing opportunities.

Next Nikki was recruited to head up a creative marketing team in Chicago where she completed a 2 year position before moving to Vancouver where she was hired as Vice President and Creative Director with Lululemon’s Ivivva Brand.

Nikki both art directed and personally shot many marketing campaigns and magazine features throughout her career. In addition working with music and fashion personalities she built a large portfolio of personal work in art photography.

After dedicating nearly 3 decades to corporate and private companies, Nikki finally took the leap to pursue her lifelong ambition to be a full time artist and fine art photographer and this year launched her solo career. Her work combines her love for painting and capturing moments in time behind the lens.
Nikki is published by Conde Nast and has installations in private homes including her last project of 30 pieces in one home.

Nikki now resides in her dream landscape with her Husband, and 3 children, where the dramatic scenery provide a constant canvas of opportunity.

Nikki's latest collection ‘Reflections’ has just gone live. She is also being featured in June, August and September issues of House and Garden Magazine. She is also confirming a place in Tatler next month and British Vogue for October November and December.

Recently, she was very moved by the discoveries at the residential schools and so she created a piece specifically to honour this time in Canadian History. The piece represents the freeing from the atrocities endured at the residential school and as in ‘Every Child Matters’ the orange represents Phyllis Webstad’s shirt taken from her upon entry and now the pouring across the nations as we remember. Nikki will be donating profits from the sale of the piece and also signed prints to Every Child Matters.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My love affair with art and the ability to see beyond the ordinary began as far back as I can remember. As a small child with my father, a science professor, we made his lab our playground. My memories are of discovering how light changed a surface, playing with refraction and watching spectrums of light dance before us. We invented macro patterns with his electron microscope and found beauty buried deep beyond the naked eye. Hours were spent with his old brownie camera, then mixing chemicals in the dark room until together we watched as the magic began to appear.

Now I walk off track waiting and watching as the theatre of light brings new discoveries. I am a storyteller, and often see far beyond the simplicity of a subject, be it a decaying leaf or a drop of water reflecting the world around it. My camera freezes a vision, and my brush is a way to express how it makes me feel. Human emotion, patterns that flood through the trees or dance across the ocean offer beauty everywhere, it’s how it connects to the viewer that is the real story.

Light is my main inspiration.


Website: www.nikkibaxendale.com
IG: @nikkibaxendaleart