Nichola Irvine
Nichola is an illustrator and painter based in Belfast. She began her business in 2020 during the COVID pandemic after graduating in Graphic Design and Illustration. Since then, she has been running her business full-time and is grateful for its continued growth.
Her work serves as a source of healing, often inspired by words drawn from her journals, songs, books, or even TV shows. She primarily illustrates landscapes, finding peace and comfort in the outdoors and nature. While the subject matter is grounded in natural scenery, the colours are more reflective of her mood, which is why her work often shifts with the seasons. She admits to liking dogs more than people, though illustrated characters sometimes appear in her art. Her main focus is to create artwork that heals - and if it brings joy and comfort to others, that is a welcome bonus.
Insta: @nichholairvine
Emerging Exchange Artist
Thanks to financial support from Belfast City Council via the Artist Studios Organisational Grant 2024/25 Creative Exchange secured additional temporary studio spaces in Portview Trade Centre. Emerging Exchange is a pilot project investigating how the organisation might build capacity as we expand our remit with a view to securing long-term, purpose built artist studios on site in the coming years. These spaces are aimed specifically for artists who are in the early stages of their career and who have had limited or no access to a studio space previously.