Nicola Coutts

I'm a Scottish artist based in Midlothian. I have a MA (Hons) in Fine Art from the University of Edinburgh/Edinburgh College of Art and a Postgraduate MA in the Conservation of Fine Art from the University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne.

I regularly visit gardens in my local area as a source of artistic inspiration. Lately I have been cultivating sweet peas, wildflowers, and planting tulips, rhododendrons and alliums in my own garden.

In 2023 I completed a one-year part-time course in Printmaking at Leith School of Art. During the printmaking year, I enjoyed monotype and mono-screenprinting, especially when trying to depict a summer haze. I’ve seen big changes in my painting thanks to the course – they are freer, I’m using collage more, and my mark-making and colours have more intensity.

Over the next year, I’d like to learn how to make my garden wilder and improve it’s palette so it becomes a stronger source of creativity for me.