Nicole Parish
48" x 22" x 24" Bronze How Many More
Hi, I am Nicole Parish - an autistic artist with an intense love for insects.
Ever since I was little, I’ve had a fascination with the natural world. Much of my time was spent outdoors playing in the dirt and looking for insects. My mother would read A Girl Of The Limberlost aloud to me as I drew and painted, which introduced me to entomology and raising insects. I then grew up taking care of praying mantises, beetles, butterflies, and moths, along with other creatures like snails and spiders. Saving the insects I found and cared for, I learned how to preserve them once they passed. My collection grew and soon became the subject for my art.
During my art apprenticeship with Casey Childs, I had the assignment to do a still life painting. I had a hard time finding anything I found interesting to paint, but I did have an Ecuadorian cicada that my father gave to me. I absolutely loved being able to capture the beauty and information I saw and started using more of my collection as reference.
I like to paint the information I see as accurately as possible so the insects are painted to scale. I mount the insect on a piece of colored paper and place it next to the canvas to reference for the painting.