Nicole Hollan

My works express my love for local architecture, my childhood memories, and my Appalachian roots. Each piece has a folklore element that adds magic to my more realistic subjects and creates a tapestry for dreams and memories in others. I am fascinated by Cincinnati’s historic architecture and by the animal world. I also like to express snapshots of my childhood memories through what some people have called my “fairy” prints.

There is a calm serenity in many of my prints – I think this is because making art is the way I cope with my anxiety disorder and find that serenity within myself. I believe that my fairytale-like prints are suited well to children’s rooms and to gallery walls.

My process is multi-step: After lots of detailed measuring and stenciling, I usually hand-watercolor my Fabriano paper. I then emboss a layer of black ink on top with a printing press. I am beginning to move into other, more colorful techniques, like multi-layer block prints with colored ink.