Welcome to Deo Gloria Studio! I'm Nicola Birch.
I live and work at Deo Gloria Farm & Studio, LLC in Bull Valley, Illinois. You can see more about the farm at www.deogloriafarm.com - it's a wonderful old Victorian from 1892, on the remaining 15 acres of the old Thompson Farm, which is now 320+ acres of conservation all around us. We've been renovating the property form top to bottom since we bought it in 2016
Artist Statement
I enjoy creating art that is joyful, peaceful, graceful, refined; art that is happy and uplifting and refreshing.
The golden age of the Dutch Masters is a fascinating historical and cultural period that saw the blossoming of prosperity, global trade, and an unrivaled richness of artistic expression. The birth of modern science through the Baconian model of empirical observation and experimentation brought artists and scientists - natural philosophers - together in their observation of the world around them; and our way of seeing is very much a product of their eager and passionate quest. I pay humble tribute to the men and women who created such timeless images.
The sensuous art of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood has also been an inspiration for a new body of work at the farm.
The flowers, fruit and vegetables in the images are all grown on the farm. The individuality of each adds to the final character of the image.
Bio
Growing up in England in a National Forest dating back more than a thousand years, my earliest and strongest creative influence was the quintessential English countryside, exploring the woods and the lanes for countless hours on foot and by bicycle. I was surrounded by the peacefulness and beauty of dappled woodland light, fragrant carpets of wildflowers and the music of bird song; and this is where I began the lifelong faith journey that fuels and gives purpose to my artistic expression. My art career began with published cartoons while at boarding school and then at Cambridge University. I did commissioned works in pastel, pen and ink, and glass engraving, over several bohemian years living on a boat exploring the rivers and coastland, in a little farm cottage nestled in a verdant Welsh valley, and at a vineyard making wine. Moving to the U.S. in 1992, I was a decorative artist before joining my husband John in starting a retained executive search firm.
The intentionally unhurried process of creating a tangible work of art balances the rapid pace of twenty-first century professional life. Business has taught me good decision-making skills and the discipline of consistent execution, which makes my creative passion much more focused and productive. My scientific education (majored in Chemistry) contributes an appreciation for the value of organized process and repetitive experimentation. Space for creativity keeps me true to my non-conformist self (and often leads to better business solutions also). If business is the expressway, art is the scenic route.
Current Work and Past Awards
Most of my time since buying the farm has centered on building a business drying and preserving botanical specimens that we grow here. It just developed naturally from having more room, and the opportunity to experiment with things I'd only had space to tinker with before. But the beauty of the farm, its light, the views, the fleeting moments to capture rather than the tightly composed studio environment... this is a rich subject and has led to an entirely new body of work that seeks to convey the natural beauty and heart of the old place infused with the warmth of life here. The farm images built on the composition skills I developed with the Dutch Masters series, but are made completely with my phone rather than a fancy DSLR, so that I can be ready at a moment's notice when I happen to be out and about. Since I am out there literally every day of the year, it's a joy to find the beauty and stop for just a moment to capture it.
There's been much less bandwidth to pursue juried shows. But it was a wonderful window of time and I did pretty well when I focused on that:
"From Darkness To Light" in the "Tulips" gallery was awarded 3rd prize at the 2018 International Juried Show "Women's Works" in Woodstock's Old Courthouse Arts Center.
"New Life" in the "Still Lifes" gallery was selected for exhibit at Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA for the national "Women in Art" exhibit.
"The Natural Philosopher's Study" in "The Desk" gallery won the 2016 IU East National Juried Show "Art + Science."
"Red Onions" in the "Still Lifes" gallery won the Horticulture magazine Harvest 2015
The "Tulips - Epping Gallery" gallery contains images all of which were acquired by McHenry County College for their permanent collection following a solo exhibit in fall 2016.