Nicola Holgate is a figurative artist working with both painting and sculptural media. Her subject matter is drawn from her environment and she is best known for her portraits of people, real or imagined. She seeks to portray not only a likeness but also the personality and context of the subject. As a predominantly figurative artist, I see my work as a storytelling device, regardless of my medium. She states: “I am inspired by my immediate environment and the people in it, always curious about the histories behind them. I believe that stories are essential to human communication and understanding relationships and well being”.