About Me - Nigel Downing Artist

Born in Middlesbrough in 1964, Nigel,  , studied Art at Cleveland College of Art and Fine Art at Canterbury College of Art before completing an MFA at the University of Newcastle. He balanced his career as an exhibiting artist with part-time roles as a lecturer and completed several Artist in Residence positions. In 1995, he undertook a PGCE, which led to two years of teaching at South East Essex College in Southend. He then transitioned to the secondary sector, where he became Head of Art at Churchill Academy in Somerset. After 30 years in education, he retired at the end of 2024 to concentrate on his own work and to host contemporary art workshops in the South West.

• 2026 Clevedon Arts Open
• 2026 SAW Lustre Exhibition, Bath Memorial Hospital
• 2025. Bath Open, Victoria Art Gallery
• 2025, SAW Open Studios
• 2025 Clevedon Arts Open
• 2025 SAW Lustre Exhibition, Taunton Musgrove Hospital
• 2025 Ilminster Open. Ilminster Arts Centre
• 2024 Ilminster Open, Ilminster Arts Centre
• 2024 SAW Open Studios
• 2023 SAW Open Studios

Early Career

• 1994 Ayresome Park, Joint exhibition with Paul Thompson. Preston Park Museum.
• 1992 Pilkington Glass Artist in Residence at Eastbourne International Tennis Tournament.
• 1993 Towner Gallery, Eastbourne
• 1993 Artist in Residence at Aston Hall Hospital, Derby.
• 1994 Derby City Art Gallery
• 1989 View From The Holgate , Solo Exhibition. Middlesbrough Art Gallery.

Nigel, primarily begins his creative process with looking and drawing. Everything builds from this starting point. For him, drawing is an investigation, a method of recording experiences and expressing ideas and emotions. The subject matter—whether it be a woodland view, a coastal scene, or the dynamic movement of a figure—suggests his approach and influences his choice of materials. At all times, he seeks to extend his visual vocabulary to communicate something about the world we live in.