Working larger is amazing, but it often requires a subtle shift in your approach to art making. Click on the image to watch the video and see what I do when I'm starting a big, new piece. In gratitude, Nicholas

I teach a lot about differences in art making. Differences between colors, shapes and textures, values and even emotions. The thinking being, that a bright color will look even brighter if paired with its opposite. A dull color. A light shape will look even lighter...

As you might have noticed, a lot of my work revolves around the concept of difference - a dark shape next to a light shape, a subtle mark next to a bold mark, and so on. Sometimes, however, these elements are too separate from one another, and as a whole the piece...

One tool I like to use is large cardboard cut outs of various shapes. it's a great way to add some variety to your mark making.

I just pulled an older piece of mine out from storage and was immediately struck by how similar the marks were in terms of value. Not that this is bad necessarily, but when compared with my more recent work, I quickly saw how this older piece was not as engaging. I...

In art, just as it is in life, more is not necessarily more. This is a hard one for me to remember. My default in may art making is to just keep adding things. If one kind of shape or mark feels good then surely 37 more will feel even better! Unfortunately, this...

I've been working on this giant blue painting for some time, and while I like where it's at currently, there's still a long way to go before it's finished. Watch the video  and see how I start to shift the composition. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!...

There is this really cool shop in Portland that I accidentally wandered into last week. At first blush it just looks like a metal junk shop but peering in the window as I went past, I realized that this just wasn’t any old junk shop. This shop was only selling old...

One element that appears throughout my work is line - it's such a simple concept and yet can add so much to a painting. Given that, I thought I would share with you my favorite tools for making lines. Watch the video and leave a comment. Do you find certain marks or...

A few nights ago I had a handful of people over at my studio for a night of art making. My friend and sculptor Joe Brubaker brought a bunch of small wood pieces with him, and everyone had the option of glueing them to their paintings. Adding this dimensional element...