Featured Artist of the Month : Nicholas (Nick) Watson Aug. 2026 | TheArtList - Art & Photo Calls for Visual Artists and Photographers.

Nicholas (Nick) Watson

Bulverde, Texas, USA

Nick grew up in a military family, spent 15 years in Hawaii, tending bar, surfing (30 years) and being a Waikiki beachboy. Nick also had a successful military career, retiring in 1996. For some inexplicable reason, Nick decided to dabble with some paint and began making small ‘splatter’ paintings at the kitchen table, purchasing his art supplies from the local hardware store. Fast forwarding to today, Nick is retired from ‘real’ life and spends his time, with his wife, Francesca (metalsmith and jewelry making guru), creating in their art studio, The Makery and tending their acre of Texas dirt, with dogs, chickens and various wildlife.

How and when did you start creating art?

I dabbled in drawing in the ninth grade (13-14 yrs), but didn’t pursue art at that time. After retiring from the USMC, I started dabbling with splattering paint. And the rest is history…..30 year history.

What media and genres do you work in?

I work mainly with acrylics, but I’ve dabbled in just about everything (painting wise) except oils. I’m too old for oils, I’ll die before they dry.

Who or what are your influences?

I didn’t have any specific influences in the beginning, but somewhere in the late 2000s-2015-ish, I saw an online auction post of two Erice Clapton owned paintings at Sotheby's, painted by Gerhardt Richtert. The painting were gigantic and gorgeous (something like $25M each). AT some point after that, I saw a 90 minute movie about Richter painting and prepping for an exhibition at the Tate. I had to learn to paint using a squeegee.

What was your inspiration for
Abstract #002-26
?

I had recently went on a craze, completing 50+ paintings in a little over a month, using only two specific colors. I call it ‘The Two Color Series’, but more specifically, I only used two specific colors. I then had a series of personal ‘life’ issues which took up a great deal of time, months. This winning painting was one of my ‘comeback’ paintings, using lotsa colors.

Describe your creative process?

I don’t know if I have an actual ‘process’. Sometimes, I just star., Sometimes I want to try a new tool, a new paint. Occasionally, I’ll have a concept, based on something I saw, maybe.a color, or a shape…..but rarely does the final result resemble the original idea.

What are you working on currently?

We’re doing some remodeling on our house and Francesca wants a large 90”x36” painting for the dining room wall. I’m going to try to come close to a previous painting we had hanging in the studio, that sold recently…..she really liked that painting. Problem…..I can almost never, ever, ever recreate a painting.

What are your near/long term goals as an artist?

First and foremost, is to keep painting and exploring more materials, what works with what. I don’t enter many contests, or do art fairs, or chase galleries (we have my paintings hanging all over our studio).