Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery is very pleased to announce that Nicole Wilde has been named as the Gallery’s new featured artist and she will now be promoted by the gallery for the next 14 days in the gallery’s Artist Showcase.

Nicole was selected as 1 of the top twelve finalists of the gallery’s recent Solo Art Exhibition Series #5. The placement in this competition qualified her art to be showcased in this feature.  Below are Nicole's Artist Biography, Artist Statement and 5 images that were submitted to this competition.

Artist Biography:

Nicole Wilde was born in Brooklyn, New York, but she always felt California’s siren call of freedom and creativity. In 1987 she moved to Los Angeles. From an early age Nicole had written poetry and short stories, followed by song lyrics, some of which were put to music for bands in which she played bass guitar. And yet, she still longed for a way to express her creativity in a visual form.

Possessing a “good eye” but lacking a good camera, she finally purchased her first DSLR in 2012. Knowing nothing about the craft—“I didn’t know an F stop from a bus stop!”—she began a driving, all-encompassing attempt at learning photography through books, online videos, and workshops. She expanded her knowledge of Photoshop in the same way and eventually combined the two disciplines, thereby finally finding her creative outlet in digital art.

Nicole’s other lifelong passion has been animals, particularly dogs and wolves. She co-ran a rescue sanctuary for wolves, and three of the residents ended up living with her for ten years until their passing. She became a professional dog trainer, wrote ten books on dog behavior, and taught seminars worldwide. It was inevitable that her love of animals would find its way into her art. Nicole’s images begin with one or more of her photographs taken in nature, zoos, or sanctuaries, and are then enhanced in Photoshop.

Nicole and her husband live in southern California with their two rescued northern breed dogs and boatloads of dog hair.

Artist Statement:

Animals. Nature. Emotion. Connection. These are the things that drive my passion to create art. My work is about the emotional life of animals, the interconnection of all beings, and the unseen magic that surrounds us all.

Each piece begins with one or more of my photographs. By applying equal parts Photoshop and imagination, bit by bit an image is transformed into a fantastical universe where a woman can cuddle up with a tiger; a boy can soar with the eagles; and an elephant can still feel the connection to his long-lost companion.

My hope is that my art touches the soul, stirs the emotions, and acts as a catalyst to reflect on the beauty and magic that is within us and around us.

Nicole’s Website:  www.photomagicalart.com