I grew up in Thunder Bay, Canada, on the North Shore of Lake Superior and have always been drawn to its power and beauty. After my graduation from Lakehead University in 2003, Lake Superior became the subject of many paintings. For years I happily painted idyllic, natural landscapes. In 2015, I moved to Turku, Finland with my wife and two children. I soon found a stunning subject in the Baltic Sea, and was able to continue my practice of painting shorelines and surrounding forests. Like Lake Superior, the Baltic Sea features sculpted rock formations that interact beautifully with light and water.
Several years ago I started to become more and more interested in painting human made objects, tools, machines, and infrastructure. I am fascinated by the design, marketing, and manufacturing behind consumerism, its appealing nature, and its ecological impact. In my recent work, I explore the tension between consumer culture and the climate crisis by juxtaposing paintings of consumer products with paintings of their ecological impacts.
I also still love to paint idyllic, natural landscapes.
EDUCATION
Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
2010-11 Advanced Painting Studio
2010-11 Advanced Drawing Studio
York University, Toronto, Canada
2007-2008 Western Art History and Modern Art History (Audited)
Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
2000 – 2003 BFA, majoring in Painting & Sculpture
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 Metsä
- Gumbostrand Konst & Form, Söderkulla, Finland
- January 11 – February 25
2021 Sum of the Parts
- B-galleria, Turku, Finland
- May
2013 Quetico Landscapes
- Pictograph Gallery, Atikokan, Ontario, Canada
- May – June
2009 Lake Superior’s North Shore – The Limnology Project
- Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- September – November
2009 New Paintings
- Calico, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- August – September
2006 Vivid Shorelines
- Waters of Superior, Duluth, Minnesota, USA
- September – October
2006 New Surreal Paintings
- Definitely Superior Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- June – July
2006 Superior’s Natural Mystic
- The Pictograph Gallery, Atikokan, Ontario, Canada
- April
2005 Print Sale & WEBSITE Launch
- 88 Regent Street, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- May
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 Purkutaide – Ihmemaa X (“Wonderland X”)
- Kerava, Finland
2022 Winter Art Market
- Gumbostrand Konst & Form, Söderkulla, Finland
- November 30 – January 8, 2023
2021 Summer Exhibition
- Gumbostrand Konst & Form, Söderkulla, Finland
- June 10 – August 15
2016 Luontoon (To Nature)
- Gumbostrand Konst & Form, Söderkulla, Finland
- November, 2016 – January, 2017
2014 The North Now: Northern Ontario Juried Exhibition
- Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- October, 2014 – January, 2015
2014 October Studio Walkabout
- 373 Tupper Street, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- October 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010
2012 Beginnings
- Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre, Red Lake, Ontario, Canada
- June – August
2008 Regent Street Art Exhibition
- 88 Regent Street, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- December
2008 The Clothing Show
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- May
2007 Crown Street Art Exhibition
- 99 Crown Street, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- December, 2007, 2006, 2005
2007 Making a Great Lake Superior Conference
- Duluth, Minnesota, USA
- October
2006 Thirty points of Light – Regional Group Show
- Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- December, 2006 – January, 2007
2006 Plein Air Festival
- Thunder Bay Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada
- August
2005 Lakehead University Alumni – 25th Anniversary Visual Art Exhibition 2005
- Definitely Superior Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- November – December
2005 Art For All, Regional Group Art Exhibition
- Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- January – February
2004 Art Show
- Gargoyles, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- November – January
2003 Art Opening
- Creed, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- November
GRANTS & AWARDS
2021 Korona-apurahaa, Taiteen edistämiskeskus, Corona Grant,
Arts Promotion Centre Finland
2020 Korona-apurahaa, Taiteen edistämiskeskus, Corona Grant,
Arts Promotion Centre Finland
2013 Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance Grant
2012 Ontario Arts Council Northern Arts Grant
2009 Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance Grant
2007 Ontario Arts Council Northern Arts Grant
2006 Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance Grant
SELECTED PRESS
Leena-Kaisa Laakso (Text), Jukka Vaso (Photography), “Jättijärven maisemista Aurajoen rannoille”
Turun Sanomat, September 11, 2021, 117, vintage – No. 251/2021.
Bonnie Schiedel, “A Stream of Consciousness, The Art of Luke Nicol”, The Walleye Magazine,December 2014, Vol 5 No 12
Michelle McChristie, Superior Outdoors Magazine, Summer 2013, Vol 7 No 1
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Todd Dufresne, Clara Sacchetti, Kezia Picard, & Mark Nisenholt, editors, Superior Art: Local Art in a Global Context (Thunder Bay: Agency Books, 2012), 177-181.