Divine Cosmos
Works by Jill Harrington Nichols Connecticut Artist, Painter
October 24 – December 8, 202
Artist Talk and Reception: Sunday, October 27
Artist Talk 12:30–1:30 p.m.
Reception 1:30–3:o00 p.m.
Connecticut artist, Jill Harrington Nichols, will close the Clare Gallery’s 2024 season, which was focused on the environment, with Divine Cosmos. The exhibition celebrates the heart, soul, and beauty that connects us all. Lyrical compositions of color and light transcribe the visible and invisible, the unseen, the other, the divine in all things.
The artist’s painting surfaces of reclaimed metals (aluminum, steel, or copper) forged from the earth’s crust combined with her subject matter—clouds, water, and the outer expanses of our universe—speak to balance, unity, and inclusion of the sacred feminine.
Nichols’ work is in international collections including those of a former FBI director, a U.S congressman, Yale Medical, and the Vatican. Her paintings have appeared as scenic design for the CBS news show, “Face the Nation.” Other works appeared on Showtime’s “The Comey Rule,” an American political drama mini-series. The piece, Phi, which celebrates the Divine Feminine, was part of the “Nasty Woman” art social movement in New Haven, CT. Archival metallic canvas prints of her works, Phi and Juno, are installed in the Vatican Observatory Museum in a gallery dedicated to astronomical art. Clare Gallery’s Divine Cosmos exhibition will include both original paintings, Phi and Juno (more information on these paintings found on the artist’s website).
Nichols has received awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and Connecticut Office of the Arts. She is an active participant in the art community. Her paintings have been exhibited at the Lyme Art Association, Kershner Gallery, Small Blue Mountain Gallery, Schelfhaudt Gallery, Carriage Barn, Greenwich Art Society, Mary C. Daly RSM Art Gallery, Lyman Allen Art Museum, Wisconsin Maritime Museum, and Minnesota Marine Art Museum. Nichols’ aesthetics have developed over 30-plus years as a commercial artist. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado, Boulder. In 2000, she trained at the Art Students League in NYC, and in 2015 earned her MFA in painting at Western Connecticut State University. Nichols regularly conducts workshops nationally and abroad, as well as holds virtual painting classes. For more information, visit jillnichols.com
Read the review by the Vatican Observatory Divine Cosmos: Art with a Special Connection by Br. Guy Consolmgno
