J. Scott Nicol

I love books. My personal collection is over exceeds one thousand books. I read novels from the classic to the obscure. I buy coffee table books for the photos and art books for the art.  I have books from places I’ve been and lands that I want to see. The books I have in my library really tell the story of me. They show my likes, interests, and passions. If you want to know about someone, go to their house and look at their collection of books.

As an artist, I express myself through my paintings. In order to tell my story, I chose books as a vehicle for those paintings. Creating this type of art is a painstaking process of research, intricate composition, and detailed painting. After coming up with a thematic concept, I choose the image for each of the books. A color background is then created which is complimentary to the image. Finally, I make up a title that in combination with the image will elicit a response from the viewer. So far, I have created over 60 paintings making up over 400 books. 

My artwork is in galleries throughout the country and purchased by art collectors around the world. These paintings can touch people in a very deep and meaningful way and it is gratifying to receive compliments on the detail and realism.  Some celebrities have collected my art like; Heisman Trophy winner and two times Super Bowl champion Jim Plunkett, entertainer and rapper Lil’ Wayne, and media mogul Oprah Winfrey, to name just a few.

The true reward is in the process of making art. Taking a blank canvas and transforming it with oil paint and brush into made up books that not only tell the story of my life but of our collective popular culture.