Biography

Born on January 24th, 1996, in Hamilton, Ontario, Bryce Nicholson's artistic journey took root at a tender age. An early enthusiast of the arts, Bryce's penchant for drawing often clashed with conventional classroom norms, as he found himself sketching and carving into desks much to the chagrin of his teachers. At the age of 14, he marked the initiation of his art career by selling his first drawing to a family friend, foreshadowing the creative trajectory that lay ahead.

Throughout his educational pursuits, Bryce's dedication to art persisted, leading him to York University where he delved deeper into his passion. As the COVID-19 Pandemic unfolded, Bryce underwent a transformative shift in his artistic expression, transitioning from hyperrealistic charcoal drawings to the rich world of oil painting. Post-university life saw him honing this newfound skill, navigating the challenges of the pandemic-stricken world. Bryce remains unwavering in his commitment to artistic growth, continuously pushing his boundaries and refining his craft with the aspiration of leaving an indelible mark as a significant and impactful artist of his era.

Artist Statement

To see what is unseen, you must close your eyes. That’s how I begin—imagining my figures as an instinctual assault on the canvas.

Every painting begins with blue. It’s the color of something hidden: grief, memory, or maybe just the quiet weight we all carry. From there, I layer. The blue fades beneath the colors a person wants you to see, creating figures that shift between raw emotion and constructed identity.

My process is grounded in observation. I watch people—the way they move, the subtleties in their gestures, how they interact with the world. Then, I stretch their stories into surreal forms: bodies twisted into impossible shapes, skin painted in hues that don’t exist, textures layered like secrets.

Each piece feels like a fragment of a larger narrative, a moment caught between the real and the imagined. There’s no conclusion, just tension—a space where the familiar transforms into something strange and deeply personal.

I want viewers to step into that space, to uncover their own truths in the folds of the impossible, and to question what lies beneath their own carefully crafted layers.

CV

Born 1996 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Resides and works within Toronto, Canada and Medellin, Colombia.

Awards:

2006, St. Thomas Aquinas Centre for the Arts Foundation Scholarship, Hamilton, Ontario

2009, St. Thomas Aquinas Centre for the Arts Foundation Scholarship, Hamilton, Ontario

2023, International Juried Art Competition (runner-up), TERAVARNA, Los Angeles, California

2023, Juried Portrait Art Competition (third place), UPWARD Gallery

2023, International Juried FACES Painting Competition (finalist), Camelback Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona

2023, International Juried Art Competition (honorable mention), TERAVARNA, Los Angeles, California

2024, International Original Art Giveaway (30 day Art Giveaway), Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

Residencies:

2023, byJerry Artist in Residence, byJerry, Chiba, Japan

Selected exhibitions:

2023, Residence Artists Pop Up Gallery (group exhibition), byJerry, Tokyo, Japan

2021, PATHOS Portrait Collection (solo exhibition), Le Chick, Miami, Florida

2021, ARTBOX PROJECT World 1.0 (group exhibition), Artbox.Projects, Zurich, Switzerland

Art fairs:

2021, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Toronto, Canada

Selected press:

UPWARD Gallery, “UPWARD’s Quarterly” in UPWARD Magazine (2023)

“6th COLOR International Juried Art Competition” in TERAVARNA (2023) at [https://www.teravarna.com/color-art-competition] consulted on 30/08/2023

Sarah Bradshaw, “Mural Artists and Public Art in Toronto” in Research Study (2022)

“Bryce Nicholson: An Artist Born” in Our Time Press (2022) at [https://ourtimepress.com/bryce-nicholson-an-artist-born/] consulted on 08/12/2021

Email: brycenicholsonart@gmail.com

Website: www.brycenicholsonfineart.com