Nikolas current painting practice is conceptualised using her own photography as reference for her work, using herself as the model, she can narrate personal experiences through interesting, dramatic poses in domestic settings using oil paints as they are versatile and allow for different marks and textures to be created depending on the needs of the painting. Nikolas work could be defined as heightened realism as she paints in a realistic manner, however at the same time making the choice to move away from the reference photograph and work within her chosen, limited colour palate. She also places great emphasis on the skin tone of the figure, specifically on bringing out the discolorations and veins in the human flesh and amplifying as flesh can be used as a poetic tool to tell a story and reveal the truth about our inner most feelings and emotions.

 The content of Nikolas work is driven by personal experiences of being raised in a small village in Poland which is a strict Catholic country that teaches God- fearing, religious ideologies about humans striving to be perfect and living sin free, which in turn creates a suppression of our true, imperfect human nature. Her painting practice aims to rebel against those ideologies and release on show those suppressed, sinful tendencies. 

Compositionally speaking, she is inspired by Baroque art, and artists such as Rubens and Caravaggio, due to their use of movement and emotional exuberance. When she applies the principles of Baroque art to her contemporary practice, she can subvert its religious politics by placing the figure in domestic settings and exploring the notions of an imperfect and complex human being.

Technically speaking, she is influenced by contemporary artists such as Alisson Watt and her portrayal of drapery as well as her dedication to the detailed studies of swathes, tucks, and folds, as well as Edward Povey and his portrayal of figures using exaggerated skin tones and impossible positions that are juxtaposed by his use if Realism. 

Nietzsche’s philosophical concept of Dionysian art informs my work as it represents disorder, intoxication, emotion and ecstasy as well as it omits the principle of individuation which is present in Apollonian art, hence the choice to cover the figures faces in her paintings.