ABOUT NICOLA NEWMAN (nee. CHATHAM)

I'm a contemporary Australian artist living and working in North Queensland, exploring the relationship between interior experience and the natural world through painting, printmaking, and book arts.

Landscape as Psychological Space

My practice has long centred on a paradox: we can stand before the most beautiful, awe-inspiring landscape—watching storm clouds roll across the ocean, noticing patterns in tree bark, observing the light shift across water—yet our minds often occupy themselves with concerns about the future or memories from the past. We're somewhere other than where we are.

Since 2008, I've incorporated excerpts from my personal diaries as titles for my paintings, creating a deliberate tension between the idealised experience of pure landscape and the reality of our wandering interior worlds. These fragments—day-to-day trivia, neurotic musings, observations—rupture the expected relationship between viewer and landscape, inviting a more honest acknowledgment of how we actually experience place.

Nature connects me to something much bigger than myself. It puts life in perspective. Yet I'm equally interested in how we can be physically present in a beautiful place while mentally absent, dwelling on what was said or unsaid, worrying about work, rehearsing conversations yet to come. Through my work, I try to present a more accurate representation of this segmented, sometimes dislocated experience—celebrating nature without divorcing it from the psychological landscape we constantly inhabit.

Process & Materials

Throughout my career, I've moved fluidly between abstraction and working from photographs, between spontaneous mark-making and careful planning, between oils and works on paper. This oscillation feels natural to me—different mediums and approaches serve different explorations.

My oil paintings use the slow-drying properties of the medium to build up layers, wipe back, blur and smear until a composition emerges. I might begin with a colour that caught my eye while exploring—the olive greens of melaleuca scrub, the red dirt of southwestern Australia, the soft blues of morning mist—and through the act of painting, the imagery takes form.

In recent years, I've shifted toward watercolour, pen drawings, and printmaking, particularly wood engraving. The wood engraving process is more deliberate and planned, often quite detailed, requiring careful consideration of each mark carved into the block—a contrast to my earlier intuitive approach.

I've been influenced by painters who work with luminous washes and atmospheric effects—Turner's translucent seascape paintings, Howard Taylor's shimmering Australian landscapes—artists who work at the edge of abstraction where form often dissolves into light and colour.

Place & Creative Practice

I've always been drawn to seascapes and coastal landscapes, influenced by years of sailing along the east coast of Australia—first as a child, then again for three years in my late thirties. Now in my forties, my husband Andrew and I sail our 22-foot Sonata around North Queensland waters when we can.

Beyond my visual art practice, I've been writing and publishing books about creativity and living a fully expressed life. The Seasonal Journal for Creative Hearts links our inner worlds with the natural rhythms of the seasons, extending my long-standing interest in how we experience and navigate both interior and exterior landscapes.

Current & Upcoming

I'm currently working toward a new exhibition exploring themes of water, migration, and memory. Recent projects include illustrating You Will Find Your Way and Nature Told Me a Secret for poet Naomi Arnold—books exploring trauma recovery, seasonal rhythms, and connection to nature. Through these drawings, I continue to explore the relationship between interior experience and the natural world, themes that have always informed my art practice.

Beyond my visual art practice, I'm writing a series of books about creativity and living a fully expressed life, including Flourish: The Art of Creative Living, The Creative Journal, and 30 Ways to Live a Creative Life. These projects explore how we can align our lives with our values and needs, extending my long-standing interest in the relationship between interior worlds and authentic self-expression.

I also host creative retreats on tropical islands in North Queensland, creating immersive experiences that support others to connect with their interior worlds through painting, printmaking, and watercolour, and mentor creative practitioners through online programs, supporting them to develop sustainable practices that honour both their art and wellbeing.

I live in our 1950s Queenslander home in North Queensland, which I'm restoring with my husband Andrew.

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY

Nicola Newman (née Chatham) (b. 1982, Victoria) is a contemporary Australian artist whose practice explores the relationship between interior experience and the natural world through painting, printmaking, and book arts. She gained her Bachelor of Fine Art from Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, in 2005.

Since her first solo exhibition in 2002, Newman has exhibited extensively across Australia and internationally. Her work is characterised by an investigation of landscape as psychological space, incorporating excerpts from her personal diaries as painting titles to create tension between idealised nature and interior experience. Solo exhibitions include Beyond the Horizon, Art Piece Gallery, NSW (2013); It Was a Strangely Happy Day, Anita Traverso Gallery, Melbourne (2011); My Morning Ritual, Caloundra Regional Gallery (2011); Between Here and There, Logan Art Gallery (2010); Cohuna Diaries, Anita Traverso Gallery, Melbourne (2009); With or Without Drought You, Redland Art Gallery (2009); Over the Garden Fence, Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery (2008); and Townsville to Tasmania: Coastal Impressions (2002).

Newman's practice spans multiple mediums, including oil painting, watercolour, video, wood engraving, and relief printing. In recent years, she has expanded into book arts and illustration, with projects including illustrating poetry collections You Will Find Your Way and Nature Told Me a Secret for poet Naomi Arnold, and authoring The Seasonal Journal for Creative Hearts, which links interior worlds with natural seasonal rhythms.

Her work has been recognised through numerous awards and acquisitions. She received the Espresso Garage Award in the Thiess Art Prize (2006) and was shortlisted for the Stan + Maureen Duke Gold Coast Art Prize (2007), Redland Art Awards (2006, 2016), Artworkers Award (2006), Churchie Emerging Art Award (2006), and City of Albany Art Prize (2016). International exhibitions include the Örebro International Video Art Festival, Sweden (2008).

Newman's artwork is held in public and corporate collections, including Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery, Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, Lendlease, The Star, and Metlink, as well as private collections in Australia, England, the United States, and New Zealand. The State Library of Queensland and Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts have published catalogue essays written by Newman.

In addition to her studio practice, Newman has facilitated numerous creative workshops since 2005, ranging from children's programs at regional galleries to adult retreats focusing on painting, printmaking, and creative business development. She has been featured in publications including Profile Magazine, Australian Country, and GQ Australia, and interviewed on podcasts including Why Not Art, in-Between, and Mojo Radio Show.

Newman lives and works in North Queensland, dividing her time between her studio in her 1950s Queenslander home and sailing the east coast of Australia. She is currently working toward a new exhibition, exploring themes of water, migration, and memory.

Exhibition History & CV

Education

  • 2005 || Bachelor of Fine Art, Queensland College of Art, Griffith University

  • 2003 || Diploma of Visual Art, Southbank Institute of TAFE

  • 2003 || Certificate IV Training & Assessment, Southbank Institute of TAFE

  • 2002 || Diploma of Business, Frontline Management for Artworkers, Southbank Institute of TAFE

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2013 || Beyond the Horizon, Art Piece Gallery, New South Wales

  • 2011 || It Was a Strangely Happy Day, Anita Traverso Gallery, Melbourne

  • 2011 || My Morning Ritual, Caloundra Regional Gallery, Queensland

  • 2010 || Between Here and There, Logan Art Gallery, Queensland

  • 2010 || Lines, M.S.S.R., Brisbane

  • 2009 || Cohuna Diaries, Anita Traverso Gallery, Melbourne

  • 2009 || Bathroom Series, Video Screening, Ipswich Art Gallery

  • 2009 || With or With Drought You, Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland

  • 2008 || Today, We Don't Have Plans, Anita Traverso Gallery, Melbourne

  • 2008 || Over the Garden Fence, Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery

  • 2008 || Uncommonplace, in-Transit Gallery, Brisbane

  • 2007 || Natural Instincts, Anita Traverso Gallery, Melbourne

  • 2005 || Burnt to Life, Neo Gallery, Brisbane

  • 2003 || Inquisitive by Nature, 60 Merivale Street, Brisbane

  • 2003 || Rainforest to Reef, Great Barrier Reef Research Foundation, Brisbane

  • 2002 || Face the Ocean, S.B.I.T. Gallery, Brisbane

  • 2002 || Townsville to Tasmania - Coastal Impressions, Eclectica Gallery, Brisbane

Selected Group Exhibitions

  • 2022 || Burdekin Art Society Annual Exhibition, Burdekin Art Society, North Queensland

  • 2016 || City of Albany Art Prize, Western Australia

  • 2016 || Redland Art Awards, Finalist, Redland Art Gallery

  • 2015 || AT_SALON Season 2, Anita Traverso Gallery, Melbourne

  • 2014 || AT_SALON Season 1, Anita Traverso Gallery, Melbourne

  • 2011 || The Light and The Dark, Art Piece Gallery, Mullumbimby, New South Wales

  • 2009 || Exposure, Metro Arts Gallery, Brisbane

  • 2009 || Orebro International Video Art Festival MSSR Showreel, Gold Coast Art Gallery

  • 2009 || BRAG Launch: Collection Exhibition, Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery

  • 2009 || Linden Postcard Show 2009, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, St Kilda, Victoria

  • 2009 || >1m, Flipbook Gallery, Brisbane

  • 2008 || Orebro International Video Art Festival, Orebro, Sweden

  • 2007 || Stan + Maureen Duke Gold Coast Art Prize, Gold Coast Art Gallery

  • 2007 || MSSR extra: Event 1, Moreton Stree Spare Room Project, Brisbane

  • 2007 || Video Work, Mlkmrkt Gallery, Southport, Gold Coast

  • 2007 || N&A Present One Night Only, ARK Atelier, Brisbane

  • 2007 || The Only Constant, Anita Traverso Gallery, Melbourne

  • 2006 || It's a Spring Thing!, Anita Traverso Gallery, Melbourne

  • 2006 || Thiess Art Prize, Espresso Garage Award Recipient, Dell Gallery, Brisbane

  • 2006 || Redland Art Awards, Finalist, Redland Art Gallery

  • 2006 || Artworkers Award, Finalist, Rawspace Gallery, Brisbane

  • 2006 || RBWH Art Award, Finalist, Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital, Brisbane

  • 2006 || Art Sydney 06, Represented by Paddington Contemporary, Sydney

  • 2006 || Churchie Emerging Art Award, Anglican Church Grammar School, Brisbane

  • 2005 || Chimaera, Queensland College of Art Graduate Exhibition, Brisbane

  • 2005 || Six May, White Space Gallery, Brisbane

  • 2004 || Immediatemix, Artworks Gallery, Southport, Gold Coast

  • 2004 || RBWH Art Award, Finalist, Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital, Brisbane

  • 2004 || National Tertiary Art Prize, Project Gallery, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane

  • 2004 || Retrospective, 60 Merivale Street, South Brisbane

  • 2004 || Compact Prints 2004, International Print Exhibition, Umbrella Studios, Townsville

  • 2003 || Ocean Works, Melaleauca Gallery, Victoria

  • 2003 || Recent Paintings, Kym Hart Gallery, Gold Coast

  • 2003 || March Exhibition, Manyung Gallery, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

Awards, Prizes, & Acquisitions

  • 2022 Highly Commended, Burdekin Art Society Annual Exhibition, North Queensland

  • 2016 Shortlisted, City of Albany Art Prize, Western Australia

  • 2016 Short­listed, Red­land Art Awards, Red­land Art Gallery.

  • 2007 Short­listed, Stan + Maureen Duke Gold Coast Art Prize, Gold Coast City Art Gallery.

  • 2006 Award Recip­i­ent, Espresso Garage Award, Thiess Art Prize, Dell Gallery, Bris­bane.

  • 2006 Short­listed, Red­land Art Awards, Red­land Art Gallery.

  • 2006 Short­listed, Art­work­ers Award, Raw­space Gallery, Bris­bane.

  • 2006 Short­listed & Acqui­si­tion, RBWH Art Award, Royal Bris­bane Women’s Hos­pi­tal, Bris­bane.

  • 2006 Short­listed, Churchie Emerg­ing Art Award, Bris­bane.

  • 2004 Short­listed & Acqui­si­tion, RBWH Art Award, Royal Bris­bane Women’s Hos­pi­tal, Brisbane.

Commissions

  • 2017 || The Star, Foyer, Gold Coast

  • 2015 || Lendlease, Concavo Apartment Foyer, Melbourne

  • 2009 || Metlink, Mel­bourne, Vic­to­ria

  • 2008 || Peri­o­care, Bris­bane

  • 2005 || Medico Legal Report­ing Ser­vices of Aus­tralia, Bris­bane

  • 2003 || Rain­for­est Coop­er­a­tive Research Cen­tre, Cairns, Queens­land

Grants

  • 2008 || Pre­sen­ta­tion and Devel­op­ment Grant, Arts Queensland.

Facilitated Workshops

  • 2025 || Art of Creative Living Retreat, Adults - 6-day Retreat on Magnetic Island with print-making and artist books workshops.

  • 2022 - Current || Creative Hearts Community, Adults - online membership with virtual creative retreats, workshops and monthly mentoring calls.

  • 2015 - Current || Flourish the Art of Creative Living, Adults - painting, writing, photography, printmaking & workshops.

  • 2024 || Art of Creative Living Retreat, Adults - 6-day Retreat on Lady Elliot Island with travel and nature sketching workshops.

  • 2023 || Art of Creative Living Retreat, Adults - 6-day Retreat on Lady Elliot Island with travel and nature sketching workshops.

  • 2022 || Art of Creative Living Retreat, Adults - 6-day Retreat on Magnetic Island with Introduction to watercolour & plein air sketching workshops.

  • 2022 || Burdekin Art Society, Adults - Gelli-plate printmaking workshop.

  • 2022 || Creative Hearts Community, Adults - Introduction to watercolours 2-day workshop.

  • 2022 || Sensitive Empowerment Community, Adults - Abstract painting & watercolour introduction workshops.

  • 2021 || Prosper: Make Money Doing What You Love, Adults - multiple Creative Business Development workshops.

  • 2020 || Sacred Creative Collective, Adults - Creativity workshop.

  • 2019 || Gentle Business Mastermind, Adults - multiple Creative Business Development workshops.

  • 2019 || Sacred Creative Collective, Adults - Creativity workshop.

  • 2018 || Gentle Business Mastermind, Adults - multiple Creative Business Development workshops.

  • 2018 || Lady Elliot Island Painting Retreat, Adult - 4-day retreat with multiple creative workshops on painting & printmaking

  • 2011 || Gallery of Mod­ern Art Children’s Pro­gram, Children - Caloun­dra Regional Art Gallery: Draw­ing from nature work­shops.

  • 2010 || Project Ser­vices, Queens­land Gov­ern­ment: Adults – Intro­duc­tion to abstract oil & acrylic paint­ing work­shop.

  • 2009 || Red­land Art Gallery, Queens­land: Chil­dren aged 6–12 years – sculp­ture work­shop.

  • 2007 || For­rest Lake High School: Chil­dren aged 13–17 years – paint­ing work­shop.

  • 2006 || St. Joachim’s Pri­mary, Bris­bane: Chil­dren aged 6–7 years – draw­ing work­shop.

  • 2005 || Artist in Res­i­dence, ‘Land­scape’ Metung, Vic­to­ria: Seniors – Intro­duc­tion to abstract oil & acrylic paint­ing workshop.

Public Appearances & Artist Talks

  • 2011 || Caloun­dra Regional Gallery, to accom­pany solo exhi­bi­tion ‘My Morn­ing Rit­ual‘

  • 2009 || Gold Coast City Art Gallery, to accom­pany group exhi­bi­tion ‘Ore­bro Inter­na­tional Video Art Fes­ti­val MSSR Showreel’

  • 2009 || Red­land Art Gallery, to accom­pany solo exhi­bi­tion ‘With or with Drought You‘

  • 2008 || Bund­aberg Regional Art Gallery, to accom­pany solo exhi­bi­tion ‘Over the Gar­den Fence’

Interviews, Podcasts & Features

  • 2018 - Current || The Art of Creative Living, Podcast,

  • 2021 || Why Not Art, Podcast, Art is an adventure, buckle up…

  • 2020 || in-Between, Podcast - Nicola Newman is Following her Curiosity

  • 2020 || Ditch the Hustle, Podcast - Doing business gently

  • 2019 || Total Balance, Article - Changemaker: Nicola Newman, Artist

  • 2019 || Rock Your Goals, Podcast - The Art of Creative Living with Nicola Newman

  • 2016 || Mojo Radio Show, Podcast - ​Leading a Creative Life to Enhance Your Innovative Mind

  • 2015 || Mojo Radio Show, Podcast - Unleash Your Creative Spirit with Nicola Newman

  • 2015 || Unclassified Woman, Podcast - Nicola Newman Grows Abundance

Published Essays & Documentary DVD Projects

  • MSSR Expo­sure, DVD Doc­u­men­tary series, Producer & Director

  • Chatham, N. (2007) ‘A Store­house of Expe­ri­ence’, Uncov­er­ing the once dis­cov­ered: info­zone res­i­dency + exhi­bi­tion project, C. Bennie cat­a­logue essay, State Library of Queensland

  • Chatham, N. (2007) ‘The Alien’s Back’, C. Bennie cat­a­logue essay, New Work 3, Perth Insti­tute of Con­tem­po­rary Art

Publications

  • Cliffod, K. (2014) ‘An Unconventional Life,’ Profile Magazine, May 2014, pp. 62, 63.

  • Bridges, P. (2013) ‘Down to Earth,’ Australian Country, Jan/Feb 2013, pp. 48-52.

  • Zemek, T. (2013) ‘Soul Food,’ Women’s Lifestyle Expo Magazine, pp. 15,16.

  • Plush, C. (2012) ‘Home-Grown Organic Goodness,’ Salt Magazine, Spring 2012, pp.36-39

  • Conte, S. (2012) ‘Creating Abundantly – from Veggie Patch to Paint Palette,’ Clean Earth Living, Issue 4, p. 14.

  • Djere­jian, M. (2010) ‘WHAT DO ARTISTS NEED? Reflec­tions on The First Öre­bro Inter­na­tional Videoart Fes­ti­val’ Con­tem­po­rary Practices

  • ‘Peo­ple & events to watch in 2008’ (2007) Sun­day Mail, pp. 24–25, 30 Decem­ber 2008.

  • Vesey, G. (2007), ‘Strokes of for­tune’, Gentlemen’s Quar­terly Aus­tralia, Autumn issue, 2007, p. 149.

  • ‘Nat­ural impres­sions fea­ture of exhi­bi­tion’ (2006), South-East Adver­tiser, 3 May 2006, pp. 57,60.

  • ‘Cut­ting edge com­ment on female fash­ion’ (2006) South-East Adver­tiser, 29 Novem­ber 2006, p. 79.

  • ‘Touch­ing land­scape’ (2004), Gold Coast Sun, 14 July 2004, p. 73.

Catalogues

  • Smith, D. (2009), ‘With or With Drought You’ exhi­bi­tion cat­a­logue, Red­land Art Gallery, 2009.

  • Tabor, K. (2007), ‘Uncom­mon­place’ exhi­bi­tion cat­a­logue, in-Transit Gallery, Bris­bane, 2008.

  • Stan + Mau­reen Duke Gold Coast Art Prize 07, Gold Coast City Arty Gallery, 2007.

  • The Thiess Art Prize (2006), Dell Gallery, Brisbane.

  • Chi­maera (2005), Queens­land Col­lege of Art grad­u­ate exhibition.

  • Brand, S. (2004), ‘Ret­ro­spec­tive’ exhi­bi­tion cat­a­logue, 60 Merivale Street, Bris­bane, 2004.

Public & Corporate Collections

  • Bund­aberg Regional Art Gallery

  • Brian Tucker CPA

  • Great Bar­rier Reef Research Foundation

  • Jupiters Hotel

  • Lendlease, Concavo Apartments

  • Metlink

  • Mir­vac

  • Medico Legal Report­ing Ser­vices of Australia

  • Peri­o­care

  • Rain­for­est Coop­er­a­tive Research Centre

  • Royal Bris­bane & Women’s Hospital

  • Toy­ota

  • The Casey Group

  • The Star

  • Turner Gavin Human Resource Consultants

Private Collections

  • Pri­vate col­lec­tions in Aus­tralia, Eng­land, The United States of Amer­ica & New Zealand.