About The artist, Nicole

Name: Nicole Cadet
Birth Info: 13th July 1979 (Born on a Black Friday!) I'm also Australian.
Physical Features: 5'7, Grey/ Hazel eyes, dark blonde-medium brown hair

I am a freelance artist who specialises in fantasy, historical, fairy and mythical art. By day I work as a senior software developer and systems analyst, by every spare moment I paint and draw!

My passion for the arts began with my early love affairs with books, dance, piano, and singing. Having spent the better part of a decade at university, I now have degrees in Education (Secondary Art & English) and Information Technology (Information Systems). I spent two years at Queensland College of Art as part of my education degree, and discovered that I really didn't enjoy art college. Despite my aversion to art college, a few years later I decided to return to my artistic roots and rediscovered my love of fantasy, mythology and history. It was at this time I found the internet! And this web site was born! I've been online since 2003, this web site having gone through a number of incarnations!

Working primarily in watercolours and digital mediums such as Painter and Photoshop, I continually explore a variety of mediums and subject matter, even if the pretty clothes of Medieval maidens and Fey creatures keep calling me back!
Dance

Artists I admire:

Michael Whelan, Rowena Morrill, Alan Lee, The Hiderbrandt Brothers, Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell, Stephanie Law

Some things I've learnt about being an artist:

  • Everything happens as it is meant to happen. I never had any desire to be an 'artist' while I was in art college as it was not the 'sensible' career choice. I went back and studied computing and now have a job that I find both challenging and rewarding, and affords me the resources to work part time as an artist.
  • Get involved with art groups and forums whenever and wherever you can! If you have a question, someone should have the answer, or be able to point you in the right direction.

    • Some forums I'm involved with include: AFAE, FAE, Epilogue

  • Don't give up! For every painting that works out and is accepted by a juried gallery, there will be ten that get rejected. Take each rejection and see it for what it is - one person, or one group of people's opinions. Sometimes what they have to say is important for you to listen to and apply to new works as it forces you to grow.
  • Not everyone is going to like your art, or even appreciate it. And that's ok!

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Artistic & Other Influences:

I am very influenced by music, dance and literature, not to mention history and mythology. My tastes are eclectic, I love the ballet, music videos, baroque and chamber music, Celtic inspired new age music, anime soundtracks, as well as pop and indie artists like Michelle Branch, Within Temptation, Dishwalla, Linkin Park and Megan McCauley. I collect art books like they are going out of fashion, am obsessed by the Regency Period, will watch just about anything anime, enjoy video games and drool over 'geeky things' like new computer bits! I've also recently joined the local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) - a medieval re-enactment group (I'm learning to fight with a rapier!)

Although I don't illustrate directly from books (except for commission work), the ideas, characters, situations often trigger images or thoughts that want to be explored. Some of my favourite authors include Anne McCaffrey who wrote female characters who are both strong and intelligent (something a lot of sci-fi and fantasy writers used to forget... not so much these days thankfully!), David Eddings, Robin McKinley, Martin Middleton, Jane Austen, Nora Roberts, Christine Feehan and Dara Joy.

I enjoy most mythology, though Celtic, Egyptian, Greek and Norse are my favourites. And despite my obsession with Goddess imagery, I'm not entirely 'pagan'. It interests me, but I'm yet to follow any one path.

Mediums of Choice:

  • Acrylics
  • Watercolours
  • 2D Digital
  • Pencil
  • oils

Software & Programming Languages

  • Photoshop
  • Painter
  • HTML, XML, PHP, MySQL, ASP, Microsoft .NET, SQL Server, Java

I've had some experience with Poser, Bryce, 3D Studio Max, PSP, Flash & Illustrator