Wendy Nichol received a call from Beyoncé’s stylist just two weeks before her first runway show at New York Fashion Week in 2013. Beyoncé needed a dress for her video for the song “Drunk in Love” and chose one of Nichol’s designs. Nichol had to create a duplicate of the dress for her fashion show, and the original one Beyoncé wore is now on display at her visual art show “Departing the World Once More”. The dress still has remnants of seaweed and holes from the video shoot, but Nichol considers it to have some special Beyoncé magic in it.
In addition to displaying some of her gowns and accessories worn by celebrities at the show, Nichol’s main focus is on paintings. She has transitioned from designing clothing and jewelry to creating moody portraits of fashion models and stars like Rihanna and Julia Fox. To make some of the pieces showcased in the exhibit, she used her nearly naked body to make unique “imprints” on canvas, such as crushing fruit seeds with her shoulder, smearing blueberries with her feet, and pressing essential oils with her hands. Nichol developed this painting method after taking a week-long class in Long Island, where she had a psychic download and felt connected to past lives.
Nichol’s interest in psychic downloads, past lives, and energies reflects her deep spiritual connection to her art. She believes that she can tap into the energies and emotions of past lives when creating her paintings. Nichol has studied past life regression and feels a strong connection to Native American culture, incorporating items like horsehair and feathers into her work. Her paintings reflect these spiritual themes, including portraits of Rihanna enveloped in smoke, and Julia Fox in a fairytale forest looking as if she may be giving birth. Nichol feels that she may have a psychic connection to these subjects and their energies.
The process of creating art for Nichol involves a deep connection to the canvas and to the materials she is using. She uses her body to physically interact with the canvas, leaving her imprint and creating a unique and personal connection to each piece. Some of her works, like the painting titled “Missing Witches” reveal faces and energies from what she believes may be past lives and experiences of women who have gone before her. By infusing her artwork with this spiritual and personal touch, Nichol creates pieces that reflect her deep connection to her craft and the energies that inspire her.
In conclusion, Wendy Nichol’s art show “Departing the World Once More” is a reflection of her journey from fashion designer to artist, using her body and spirit to create powerful and evocative paintings. Her unique method of imprinting herself on canvas and tapping into past lives and energies results in a collection of work that is spiritual, personal, and deeply connected to her identity and beliefs. By infusing her art with elements of psychic downloads and spiritual frequencies, Nichol creates pieces that go beyond mere portraits and become reflections of her inner world and creative process.
