Member of the Month – Kamloops Arts Council
Full Name: Nicole Pettigrew
Medium: I alternate between mixed media drawing and relief printmaking. Recently I’ve returned to intaglio and collagraph printing as well, trying to find low-tech methods for printing at home.
How long have you been doing your art: I took every art class I could in high school, would draw and make things in my free time, and graduated from TRU with my fine arts degree in 2006. After having children a few years later, the time given to my art nearly stopped. In 2016 I slowly started working on it again and a silver lining of the isolation of 2020 was the time and motivation to begin again more seriously. I’ve been working steadily since.
What got you originally interested in the art you do: With printmaking, the technical side of the medium has always been appealing and so is the variety of textures and marks you can achieve. I love that the process itself can be, and often is very messy, but in the end, you try to come away with an edition of clean prints.
What do you enjoy the most about your art: Being able to put minutes or hours over weeks/months/years into a drawing or print, and in the end, all the many tiny steps come together from an idea to a finished piece that I usually get very attached to! They all feel like parts of myself.
What is something most people don’t know about you: Aside from art I really love music, and nowhere am I happier than seeing a musician or band that I love, performing.
If you could teach everyone one art medium or method, what would it be, why: Maybe not teach, but I would hugely encourage the use of sketchbooks. They are a place for ideas to form and develop, to make mistakes, for experimentation, documentation, a scrapbook, a travel log… it’s endless. How each person uses their book is unique; it becomes a time capsule of your growth, and it can be privately kept or used to develop ideas to show to the world.
Why are you a member of the Kamloops Arts Council: I have been a member off and on over the years and have participated as a member in Art in the Park, Art in Public Spaces, Art Exposed and Small Works. I love that artists in all career stages are showcased and supported by the KAC and the arts community built around this organization. The events and exhibitions do so much to enrich the arts and culture in our city.
What are you looking forward to the most in this upcoming year (A special show or project you’re working on): On and off for 10 years I’ve been working on a group of drawings that I would like to finally show together. This year I hope to complete enough to put together a small solo show possibly for the following year.