Nikki Loy on Coffee, Color, & Creatives

My name is Nikki Loy. I was born and raised in southeastern North Carolina. My education has moved me to several places around the state, but the coast has always been my favorite place to be. The ocean makes its way into a lot of my artwork, but I love to travel and share my experiences through my art. Elements of light, architecture, movement, and reflection have become important to my art. I loved watching how quickly a storm would roll in and bring a sense of cleansing with it. My work is inspired by traveling to places that have struggled with natural disasters and exploring how they have built themselves and what continues to attract people. I aim to create art in which a viewer sees a landscape or events are more than just a beautiful place. I want my art to inspire people to stop and consider the beauty around them.

Favorite Local Third Place: Dirtbag Ales is my favorite place to hang out and eat delicious food. I love that they support so many artists and host events to keep people connected. I was so happy to see them host Art After Dark because of all of the cancelled events, shows, and exhibitions this year. 

3 Things you can’t live without: My watercolor pencils and camera go with me any time I travel. I spend a lot of time at the beach and like to sketch while I’m there. I also probably wouldn’t be a happy camper if I had to go without iced coffee. I know, it’s terrible.

Local artist (any genre) you admire. I really enjoy Emily Musolino’s music! She’s amazing.

A practice you’ve started during quarantine that you plan to continue: It all began with a French press that was gifted to me earlier this year. I didn’t have time to use it before quarantine. I started making coffee every morning and working on quick art projects. Quarantine gave me a renewed connection to the artwork that I am making. It slowed me down enough to really think about the kind of art that I want to make. I feel like my creativity comes in waves and I needed that space to really dive into my work. 

What is one of your current artistic experiments? I’ve been experimenting with color in my work. I’ve always wanted to be a hyper-realist with my painting, but it’s just not my style. I like the constraints of realism with the freedom to express myself using unrealistic colors. 

Who is someone who encouraged or championed your art work? The first group of people that comes to mind are strangers on the internet. When people are passionate about art, they’ll want to see you succeed. Outside of that, my family has always been supportive of my artwork.

What advice would you give to new/younger/less experienced artists in your genre? Keep doing hard things, the things that make you stop for a second and question if you should, because you absolutely should do it. And keep meeting people who make art. I think it’s easy for artists to isolate, but there’s nothing like having a support system of creatives in your life. Other artists usually want to see you succeed and success is better when it’s shared.