Nick works both as a Painter, mainly in watercolour, and as a resin jewellery maker. Also, as a user of a number of graphics programmes for many years he is showing a growing interest in creating digital works of art. How this aspect of his creativity develops in the future remains to be seen!
Born in London in 1948, Nick Orsborn studied Fine Art at Kingston and Reigate Colleges of Art. After living in Brighton for nearly 50 years, he moved to Worthing in June 2020.
Largely self-taught in the use of watercolour, it has been his medium of choice for the past 50 years. His work has been widely exhibited in the UK and fine art poster images of his watercolours have been distributed and sold worldwide over the past two decades. His figurative paintings are very concerned with expressing the joy of life, not its darker aspects, often from a perspective of humour and gentle irony. In 2007 he was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours.
In 1973 he co-founded Cicada Jewellery, designing, making and selling a range of resin earrings, brooches and necklaces. For over ten years these were retailed from his gallery in Brighton and successfully wholesaled worldwide. Production ceased during the nineties but was resumed in 2003 and Nick now devotes about a third of his working time to designing and making resin jewellery, which he regards as completely complementary to his painting. Each activity supports and enhances the other.
Nick Orsborn