Wonderful wildness

Frederick Nichols (Studio Art ’70) modestly describes his work as “interpretation” of the wilderness areas of the Shenandoah and the Blue Ridge, areas that, as a native Virginian, he’s been exploring and painting all his life.

Nichols’ passion began early. His father, the late Frederick Nichols, once chairman of the history and design departments at U.Va.’s architecture school, taught, among other courses, Japanese and Chinese art. Woodcut prints and screens from trips to the Far East, purchased for the Nichols household while his father collected Asian art for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, “planted” themselves in young Nichols’ mind’s eye, which explains the Asian influence in his work.

But Nichols has always recognized the natural world that is so much a part of Central Virginia. In conversation over what has inspired his art, he recounts that “there was so much [visually] to work with here which goes back to childhood ... a certain nostalgia or sentimental quality” that is for Nichols inescapable.

Nichols’ formal training in studio art began at U.Va. with the late Professor Robert Barbee. “He was tough,” says Nichols. “He didn’t let us get by with anything.” Nichols went on to receive his MFA at Pratt Institute in New York — “a real culture shock for me,” he describes, after his life in Charlottesville.

Like so many, he returned to Central Virginia, and he has successfully built his career out of his lifelong study of its natural surroundings. Nichols’ work in private and corporate collections can be seen throughout the United States as well as overseas.

Nichols has recently been recognized by two international art events, first in Japan in January 2005 at the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art exhibit commemorating the devastating Kobe earthquake of the mid-1990s. The work he submitted was of the flooding of the Rapidan River, depicting both the destruction and elements of its rebirth, with hanging branches showing new growth. “Houses were washed away, the bridge over the river collapsed, and the trees were left flattened by the flood,” Nichols explains.

December of 2005 finds his work at the Florence, Italy, International Biennale, a juried, invitation-only event where artists around the world are given space to show works of their choosing. “The way they found me was through my Web site,” says Nichols. Approximately 600 artists from around the world are participating; this is the second Florence Biennale Nichols will be  participating in, the first being in 2001. He and his wife, Beth, an art dealer, are attending, and among the other advantages of visiting one of the world’s great cities for art, Nichols explains, it’s a unique opportunity to meet other artists.

Nichols recounts with real pleasure and pride that U.Va. Dean of Admission Jack Blackburn recently decided to purchase some of his work for the admissions office. It’s evident that he feels a genuine obligation to his alma mater. “They’ve encouraged me all the way,” he says, and in fact, it’s clear that they still do.

Enjoy more paintings at FredNichols.com