Lloyd Nicholson ~ Journeyman and Artist

2020 2019 2018 2017  2016 2015 2014 2013  2012 2011    2009-10  2009  2008 2007 2006 2005 Before 2005

30+ years of experience in painting and decorating with expertise in work that requires a high skill level in communication, detail, accuracy and colour design. I have been a Red Seal Certified Journeyman since 2001. My advanced skills have been honed in the areas of residential restoration, interior and exterior, from beginning to end. I have done everything from specialty finishes, Venetian plaster, faux finishing, to high end fine furniture finishing. In my career I have offered solid organization, planning, reliability, responsibility, maturity, attention to detail, and safety.

It's not just the tools and skills in painting that make the difference, but a broad knowledge of paint products. Many are not compatible over each other. Attention to quality products also makes a huge difference. That old saying "you get what you pay for" is actually true in this regard. I am also known for helping guide and advise clients to colours that will work best for them.

In the mid 1980's I worked as Assistant Property Manager at a large condo complex owned at the time by Rancho Realty on West 4th in Vancouver BC. I painted condo rental units, showed suites, set up lease agreements, and was grounds keeper. Later, with my own team I got busy doing residential homes and a number of office interiors for Park Georgia Realty. From then on until I moved to Salt Spring in 2002 I did many many homes, and had the honor to work for 3 different Housing Co-ops managed by CoHo Management in Vancouver.

After moving to Salt Spring I continued residential work, from luxury to average homes, each with the same care and attention to detail.

Click here for my resume.
(PDF link will get posted in a few days)
References upon request.

What is a Journeyman?

In the past, a Journeyman was a man who reached a high level of a particular trade by getting as much experience as possible, usually obtained by journey's to many small towns and cities. Interestingly this still exists to a certain extent in parts of Europe. Today "journeyman", or "Red Seal" Certification is reached through 4 years of apprenticeship, or by an outright "challenge" to take the exam.

In Canada and the US, a Red Seal Painter Certification is accepted in the Commonwealth as proof the individual meets the highest standards of a skilled painter and finisher. In Europe however once you reach journeyman plus some years of proven skills, one becomes a Master painter. I like the term "journeyman" because it hints that one cannot know everything. A journeyman painter working on the space shuttle needs a completely different set of skills and requirements than does a journeyman painter working on a movie set: each works in a world apart.

All highly skilled tradespeople are forever on a "journey": always looking for new challenges and learning new skills. One thing is for sure, every job is different!

Contact

The first thing to note about my painting on this medium is that it is NOT ANYTHING LIKE Stained Glass. Stained glass looks the same from either side, but not my work.

The only similarity between my work and stained glass is that side A and side B are reversed. When you look at the reverse side of my work, you are looking backwards in time to the first layers put down. I know, it's complicated!

Another major difference between my work and stained glass is that my work has area's that may be very opaque, so light does not transmit evenly through the entire work. And on the reflective side, because you are really seeing the art in a 3D way, the light can reflect and bounce off and through it in very unusual ways.

Upon completion of a work I determine if it is what I call a two sided (example to the left with "Wonder") or one sided (example, last of these images) work. If it is a one sided work then it gets framed accordingly. Of course if only one side is preferred then it can be hung in such a way as to only see one side such as against or close to a wall. A two sided work can then be hung in a window, beside a window, hung to create a partition of a particular area, or anywhere inside.... 

Some people fear that acrylic glass can be scratched. Yes it can, but so also can almost ANY work of art if you scratch it. If you treat the work just as you would any fine art, it will outlive you, your children, and your children's children. Once the acrylics cure on the glass they will not come off with normal careful handling like you would do with any fine art piece. I have a few art works in my inventory that are 15 years old, and they look exactly as they did 15 years ago.

Go to the Acrylic Glass Gallery and see what is available.

For those who would love a fine art print of my Acrylic Glass at a very affordable price, check out my Fine Art Print Shop

This is a sample of some of the work I produce on press-board. I prefer mediums with near frictionless surfaces to enhance my techniques.

My general format for these is 2' X 4' panorama.

Click here to go to the Press Board Gallery.

For very affordable, Fine Art, Limited Edition Prints of my Pressboard and Acrylic Glass works, click here.

For some years now I have been designing and sub contracting joinery work for my furniture designs, featuring my unique plexi-art (acrylic glass) and press-board art.

To see more like this check out my Furniture Store.

Visit Lloyd's Portfolio Gallery

Take me to Before and After Photographic Restoration Services

Buy a numbered Limited Edition Print

(to the left, some of my favourite images)

My career as a photographer began with training in the Media Arts Program at Sheridan College, Oakville Ontario, from 1976-79. I then returned to Calgary in 1980 where I built my own B&W and colour darkroom, which went with me when I moved to Vancouver BC in 1983.

For years I did all of the darkroom and news photography for Angles Newspaper and in the late 80's I branched out and began freelancing for several of the best-known modern dance companies in Vancouver including Karen Jamieson, Margie Gillis, and Anna Wyman Dance Companies. I also worked for the Vancouver Opera's school program, and did a major stint with the World Opera Company. As time permits I will be adding some of my images from this period.

Since the early 2000's photography has become "democratized" to an amazing extent. Everyone has a digital camera in their phone or as a separate device. The obsolescence of film has made almost everyone in the world a "documenter" of their lives and the world around them. Combined with the instant posting of these images on the Internet, this has the potential to provide an extraordinary, profound and very personal representation in how we see our own lives, and those of others.

My photographic work now employs all the amazing digital tools available, long ago abandoning the darkroom and its chemicals. Now what took days in the darkroom I can do in a few minutes or hours from my laptop, and I look forward to sharing this new work with you also.

This is the landing page for Museum Quality (Archival) Limited edition (signed and numbered) Prints. More will be Coming Soon in the Print Shop.

This year my fine art prints have expanded to include digital reworks of my photography, acrylic glass pieces, and my press-board works. These will all be found in the Print Shop.

To learn about my printing standards for Museum (Archival) quality prints, click here.

Go directly to the Limited Edition Print Shop

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Mainly most recent sales, going backwards in time...

Check out what has SOLD

Peruse & Purchase online a Limited Edition Print

Limited Edition Prints are only available at the listed + shipping price in my North American shopping cart. Please contact me about purchases beyond North America.

To learn about my printing standards for Museum (Archival) quality prints, click here.

Visit and shop from the Acrylic Glass Gallery
(purchases here must be made via email & phone contact because of custom crating, handling & shipping etc)

Visit and shop from the Pressboard Gallery
(purchases here must be made via email & phone contact because of custom crating, handling & shipping etc)

Visit and shop from my Unique Furniture for Sale
(purchases here must be made via email & phone contact because of custom crating, handling & shipping etc)

This is the landing page for my Archive of Art Shows. As a full time gallery member of the Salt Spring Gallery from 2010-16 I have had a number of stand alone shows there, but also at other venues "on Island", such as as Mahon Hall and ArtSpring. I have also shown at the Sooke Fine Art Show, and Vancouver and Victoria Galleries.Below are links to my largest shows of the last 10 years.

Timelapse 2015

The Magic of Flow 2014

Exquisite Eden 2013

Furnished with Love 2012

Collective Expressions 2005

This is the Landing Page to explore my work process on a deeper level.

Below is a list of hotlinks to pages on various art projects.

Creating Wonder
 

Creating The Magic Mountain

Creating Ocean Storm

Creating Summer to Fall

Creating the Brazilian Amber

Art before 2003

I started out drawing animals, insects and imaginary creatures. My earliest inspiration probably came from cartoons, then Miro, Kandinsky and Picasso.

By my teens I was drawn to images inspired by Charles Dickens, and then later became fascinated by the Surrealists. And so I began painting imaginary landscapes inspired by the literature of C.S. Lewis and Ray Bradbury. As a teen I actually sold some of these works to private collectors.

In 2003 I was inspired by my late partner to start painting artwork again, and with my deep knowledge of paint technology, began to delve into the realm of painting on Acrylic Glass and super smooth substrates as a base medium, rather than canvas or paper.

My techniques involve what I call "traveling" (pouring) paint into a water "carrier”. Then splashing, splooshing, dragging, using fans & levelers to change flow, or blowing through a straw; all sorts of techniques that mainly do not involve using a brush.

Since 2003 I have been working with these techniques and mediums and my work has evolved. I understand many of the limitations of these processes, but love the liberation, spontaneity, and sheer joy in the surprises these multi-layer techniques produce.

I use acrylic glass (Plexiglas) for two reasons. First, polymers (like acrylic) love binding to each other if allowed to dry/cure properly. Once the carrier (water) has evaporated, the acrylic paint binds very well with acrylic glass.As long as the work is treated like any other piece of fine art, it will outlast you, your children, and their children's children. . Plexiglas has a long history as one of the oldest plastics to come into mass production, and it does not contain any of the hormone mimicking disruptors that have been a great cause for alarm in other plastics.

Before and After is my digital restoration service for your photos, prints, slides and negatives. Click the Before & After Gallery for samples of this work. These restorations are all in the $35.00 range.

Please use the form on the Contact page to start a conversation about your requirements.

Formerly Edmar Creative Castings,

Creative Castings is now my small decorative plaster casting business. The catalogue is being rebuilt, but a limited number of items are currently available and you can see and purchase them from at the Creative Castings Shop.