About Nicky May

My work is a subjective take on the coast, fields and lanes near me in North Cornwall. I start from what I see when walking, then the process of painting imbues the work with the colours and feelings that the landscape evokes in me.

While the Sun Shines, Acrylic 60×80 cms

I work mainly in watercolour and acrylics, with an experimental approach to mark making, and a passion for colour.

Oak and Beech, watercolour 24x24cms

Brief History

I have painted since I was small, however my first career was in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, as a community worker and later senior manager. I worked in clay for ten years or so but was “called” back to the easel in 2012 and since then have been a full time artist.

Where to see the paintings

I show my work in galleries in Cornwall and Devon. For a full list of current exhibitions see my page Exhibitions

“Cornish Hedgerows” : a book of paintings by Nicky May

In 2022 I started painting things I saw on my daily walks through the lanes in the parish of Week St Mary in North Cornwall. Sometimes just the juxtaposition of two things, like a pale field and a dark hedge, would be enough to start me off. The more I looked, the more I noticed