Leicester artist Nick Fear on his love for portraiture and how stepping out of his comfort zone led to an unforgettable brush with celebrity in 2020.
Since 2018, Nick Fear has been painting portraits professionally, using his talent to celebrate the personalities of sitters both young and old. In recent months, he has also expanded his artistic repertoire to include pet portraits, a growing trend that has quickly found its place in his portfolio.
Picture: Nick Fear
For Nick, painting portraits is an incredibly rewarding process, largely because of the deeply personal nature of the work.
“You’re creating something that someone will treasure, perhaps even pass down through generations — there’s something really special about that,” he says.
“Though I often ship my pieces, there’s something particularly satisfying about delivering them in person. I love seeing people’s reactions!”
One commission that stands out for Nick was a portrait of an elderly war veteran proudly wearing his military medals.
“That was one of the first pieces I was able to present in person after Covid, and it was such a meaningful moment, he shares.
The couple who commissioned it were there, and the subject— who was 94 at the time—was deeply moved. It felt like a real privilege to chat with him and hear about his life experiences.”
Nick’s talents also led him to an unexpected brush with celebrity in 2020, a career highlight he fondly recalls. After launching an Instagram account, he was contacted by Sky Arts to appear on their prestigious ‘Portrait Artist of the Year’ competition. Despite being outside his comfort zone, Nick decided to take part, which proved to be both a personal and professional milestone.
In the competition, contestants were tasked with painting presenter Fearne Cotton, who ended up being a big fan of Nick’s final portrait.
“We had no idea who would walk through the doors to be our subject, so it was a great surprise when Fearne arrived,” he remembers.
“Although she ended up choosing my portrait, I had mixed feelings about the result because the environment was so different from what I was used to.
“The pressure of working in a studio under scrutiny, being filmed, doing interviews—it was a completely disrupted environment compared to painting in my own space, where I’m uninterrupted. I didn’t quite get the portrait of Fearne I had hoped for, but clearly, she saw something she liked!”
Reflecting on his experience with Fearne, Nick adds, “She was lovely — really down-to-earth and supportive. She could sense that everyone was feeling the pressure, and I think it was a bit of a challenge for her, too. She’s such a lively, outgoing person, and she wasn’t used to being still. It was out of her comfort zone as much as it was mine!”
Though the experience was stressful, Nick is grateful for the exposure it brought him, resulting in more commissions and thousands of new followers on social media.
His portraits, known for their bold and dynamic style, have gained significant attention. Nick enjoys working with vivid brushstrokes and introducing splashes of colour to create distinctive and striking skin tones.
Although he works from photographs, Nick prefers meeting his subjects in person to capture the essence of their personality.
“When you get to know the person a little, it helps bring their character into the painting. You end up feeling their spirit as you paint, and that comes through in the brushstrokes,” he explains.
“I don’t enjoy the painstakingly intricate approach to art. While that kind of skill is incredible to look at, I find it doesn’t offer the dynamic energy I enjoy. I prefer working with freedom and a quicker pace.”
In recent years, Nick had the privilege of painting the legendary naturalist Sir David Attenborough, someone he admires deeply. And while he’s skilled at painting younger faces, he particularly enjoys the challenge of capturing older subjects.
“I love painting both, but there’s something especially freeing about painting an older, more weathered face,” he says.
“With younger skin, there’s a temptation to make everything too smooth. But older faces have so much character—there’s a lot more room to experiment with your style.”
Ultimately, Nick says, it’s the challenge of capturing the human form that drives him.
“Portraiture is one of the hardest disciplines in art. And I love pushing myself to reach the pinnacle of that challenge.“
For more information on Nick’s work, visit: www.nickfear.co.uk
