Nicola has loved drawing and painting all her life. Her work is inspired by the countryside surrounding her home and a childhood spent on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire. Nicola has always been an avid collector and recorder of natural finds and all that surrounds her.

Having gained her degree in Illustration from Manchester University she moved south, working freelance as an illustrator and then in design and publishing. Her work has been published by Marks & Spencer, The World Wildlife Fund for nature, Heal's, John Lewis and Laura Ashley, amongst others. She has exhibited at The Country Living Fair, The House and Garden Festival, Spirit of Summer and RHS Chatsworth Flower show.

At her farmhouse home in Hertfordshire she has created a serene studio space which looks out over open fields and a large pond. Shelves are lined with collections of natural finds such as feathers, pebbles, pressed leaves and dried seed heads, and on workshop days the scent of seasonal flowers fills the room. Mr Darcy - a tame pheasant - taps at the window for treats, and ducks waddle across the lawn from the pond.

Nicola is often invited to host art events including painting retreat weekends at luxury hotels such as the award winning The Retreat Elcot Park, The Barnsdale Rutland and The Mitre Hampton Court.