New artist Nadia Koo visits our Clifton gallery

Nadia’s paintings burst with joy and a vividness that’s captivating. We were lucky enough to discuss her newest body of work when she visited us in Clifton.

Nadia was born in Cambridge and now lives in Saffron Walden. She paints between her garden studio and her caravan by the sea in Suffolk. She is heavily influenced by her childhood stays in Dominica, with its abundant fruits and iridescent glimmer of hummingbirds, against the backdrop of giant, lush tropical leaves.

Nadia brings a vibrant energy into her paintings, exciting the viewer as she blends worlds together. A strong sense of colour unites and flows between her paintings. Narratives run below the surface of each joyful canvas; thoughts are explored through colour, scale and energy and find their own expression while challenging the viewer to scratch beneath the surface.

“Colour defines my work. I feel the vibrancy of greens, turquoises, pinks. They form part of my real and imagined botanicals, with people and animals alongside.

“I love texture and shape on the canvas. Each piece for me is spontaneous, intuitive and exciting, and I feel my way around the canvas with pure freedom.

“Painting is an evocative, rich awakening of my senses. I am both calm and intense when I paint, finding exhilaration in movement and bold brush marks.”

Nadia Koo’s paintings are heavily influenced by her childhood stays in Dominica, with its abundant fruits and iridescent glimmer of hummingbirds, against the backdrop of giant, lush tropical leaves.