Fresh Paint

Nicki Heenan

While some paintings impress for their simplicity and directness of execution, a work such as Nicki Heenan’s Autumn Apple Tree captivates thanks to the rich variety of marks and substances used in the densely-worked surface.

It is perhaps surprising then that a painting of such depth began life during a demonstration at a workshop the artist hosted in New York last year. “The subject is one I thought would connect with the audience, so its construction, composition and colours were thought out before I painted it,” explains Nicki.

In fact, the tree was one that the artist knows well as it resides in her Wiltshire garden. Nicki has painted it on