Nicky Nadine - Pastels

Untitled. draws on the visual language of Eden to consider the lasting implications of a single narrative that has shaped how women are seen, judged, and positioned within both art and history. Presented as an imagined self-portrait, the figure is shown from behind, ambiguously gendered, engaged in an act of appetite and violence beneath what is presumed to be an apple-laden tree. Blood marks the moment, while a restrained, knowing smile — recalling the quiet ambiguity of the Mona Lisa and Girl with a Pearl Earring — unsettles expectations of shame or passivity. By withholding identity and narrative, the work resists moralisation and confronts the viewer with agency that is unapologetic and unresolved.

Untitled., 2026

Pastel and charcoal on canvas

95.5 x 65cm

Inspired by Bouguereau’s Orestes Pursued by the Furies, this pastel painting examines the persistent weight of thoughts tied to the past, present, and future. Through five self-portraits, the three Furies embody depression, fear, and anger as they scream toward a present-day figure, their gestures directing attention to a girl in a school dress fading into the surrounding darkness. A dagger in her chest marks her as the keeper of past trauma and the misplaced shame that accompanies it. Time threads through the composition in the form of watches, illustrating the ongoing ordeal of overthinking, while the dark circles beneath each figure’s eyes signal the emotional exhaustion it brings. Yet, despite the piece’s heavy atmosphere, a torch — first introduced in my work cPTSD — casts a quiet light across the scene. Its presence offers a subtle reminder that within the turmoil there is awareness, and within that awareness, a possible route toward a brighter, more hopeful future.

Furies Internal, 2025

Pastel, charcoal, and ink on canvas

100 x 150cm

cPTSD draws on the mythic intensity of Rubens’ Prometheus Bound, reimagined through the lens of contemporary trauma. A young girl in a school dress lies on the floor, struggling against an attacking eagle while a massive ball of barbed wire, chained to her leg, looms in the distance — a symbol of intergenerational trauma. The broken, fiery torch within reach gestures toward the possibility of agency and illumination, suggesting both the danger and potential for resistance. The painting reflects the complex cycles of inherited harm, vulnerability, and resilience, inviting viewers to confront emotional weight and the persistence of unseen struggles.

cPTSD, 2024

Pastel, charcoal, and ink on canvas

92 x 120cm

(Reached Second Stage of John Moore's Painting Prize 2025)