Conversations with : ArtxNikki

For the launch of Conversations With : a mini series where we select our favorite artist to highlight, we had to start with our favorite girl, ArtxNikki. Her distinct style was a foundational element for our brand. In the beginning stages of building our business, we stumbled upon her beautiful drawings of ultra realistic food and drinks and immediately reached out to Nikki to collaborate. Her artwork perfectly embodied our vision: colorful, playful, bold and above all, elevated.

Nikki’s hand-painted, watercolor flat lays don't just depict objects; they curate a mood. Consider the composition in two steaming cappuccinos, a golden-brown croissant and vintage cat-eye sunglasses. This is an illustration of a perfect, relaxed Parisian-style brunch—an effortless, chic, and elevated moment in time. The color palette of dusty rose and gold accents, framed by a classic green rim, creates a visual feast that is as playful as it is refined.

These pieces remind us that even our daily rituals and small celebrations can be reimagined with beauty and intentional design. The bold colors and confident line work across all her pieces reflect a playful and creative spirit, which resonated deeply with our own core values at House of Holiday. Her work reminds us all to find the joy and artistry in the everyday.

What’s your first memory of creating art?

I always joke that my memory is that of an elephant and have vivid memories and recollections as early as 2 years old. I have memories of finger painting in my wooden highchair at 2 in my childhood kitchen. This was obviously not great art- but painting and drawing have been a constant since I can remember! I'd come home from school and craft most days as a child and have friends over in middle school for crafting/drawing slumber parties. 

How has your art style evolved over the course of your career?

I did not find my true style until 2020, a year after I had graduated from college where I studied studio art! On one specific painting (Citrus Cocktails- still on my website for sale as a print) my style just clicked; it was a black fine line pen drawing with watercolor. I use that exact illustratiing style to this day! Prior to that, I was painting abstract acrylics, bookmaking, figure drawing portraits, printmaking.. anything artistic I could get my hands into. I took an aqueous painting class my senior year of college where we learned how to paint traditionally with watercolor and gouache. I loved the class and fell in love with watercolor specifically. I just hadn't confidently found a way to use it that felt like my own style. Until the day I combined it with black pen line illustration, which combined my love for watercolor painting anddrawing. 

If your art could speak, what would it say?

My art would urge everyone to not take things so seriously. I always felt this great pressure in college to make art with deep meaning and connection, rooted in emotions and trauma and love. I am not a deeply emotional person and trying to make my work express deep emotions felt so forced. I took the pressure off of creating concepts at some point and focused on painting things that made me happy and brought me joy. Which in turn gave me a new meaning to connection through art. I focused on simple daily pleasures like a good cocktail, fresh flowers, a locally made croissant- all things we experience in daily life that bring us glimmers of happiness. These little slices of joy throughout the day I think are just as important as the big emotions some feel the need to weave into their art. 

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?

Just start, perfect later. There is never going to be a perfect time to launch a business; you may as well just jump into it and learn and adjust as you go. You will never be prepared for all of the bumps you will hit along the way but you can learn from them and adapt from them in real time which will be more beneficial to your growth and success and gives you a sense of resilience. 

What’s your favorite medium to work with, and why?

I love watercolor paint! It's flowing, it's compact and easy to travel with, it's expressive! I always say it's a happy medium between oil and acrylic- oil dries very slowly, over the course of days, sometimes weeks whereas acrylic dries very fast but is forgiving. Watercolor dries somewhat quickly but you have a few minutes to move the paint around or drop more in before it's permanently ingrained in the paper. It always allows more layers to build a depth I can't seem to bring out in acrylic. And it works better for those who are less patient with oil painting. 

What’s your coffee order?

I love a seasonal latte on any menu- unique and experimental flavors.. sign me up! I recently had a spiced fig and lemon iced latte that was to die for. I generally prefer a hot one though! Or a classic iced vanilla matcha with whole milk and cinnamon will never not make me happy in the afternoon. 

What do you do to get inspired?

Travel and shopping help me stay inspired or pull me out of a creative rut. I love to find fonts and lettering in the wild, color combinations in food dishes, new coffee shop flavors, architecture, and boutiques across the globe to fuel my creativity. When I'm stuck locally I often need to just get outside and get some fresh air to let new ideas come to me. Pinterest is also a safe haven for inspiration and I find myself using that instead of Google when needed to search for things. 

If you weren’t an artist what would you be?

I honestly can't imagine being anything but an artist! I went to cosmetology school after college, thinking that would be a good, steady addition to unpromising artist income but found myself longing to go home and paint every day. Apparently hair as a canvas wasn't "art" enough for me to enjoy! If I did have to choose, perhaps a personal shopper or home decor consultant. I am a creative through and through! 

Who are the artists or experiences that have shaped your work the most?

The Renaissance art period has been a very formative art movement for my own work. I had an art history minor in college and focused as many classes on Renaissance and Baroque artwork as I possibly could. I find the underlying themes so interesting and am drawn to the ornate styles. I find myself often working them into my own art. I was able to intern abroad in Italy in college for a working American artist in Florence. Seeing him able to make a successful career of art made me feel as though I could do that same. I got to be in his studio and assist prepping for classes he was going to teach, prepping supplies for commissions he was working on, and photographing art for a book he was writing- this subconsciously showed me how to pursue art with a variety of income streams and that it IS possible to have a good career doing what you love. 

How did your upbringing or environment influence your artistic style?

My mom was very artistic in a home decorating way; she collected antiques and curated a wildly interesting home to grow up in. It felt as though I was in a real life museum. I think this helped me grow my own taste and eye for good design. My dad owned an auto body shop for my entire upbringing- the best in town. He worked hard, long days but I think this gave me my grit and determination and showed me what goes into running a successful business. My sister (who is 14 years older than me) is an elementary art teacher, photographer, and yoga instructor- the ultimate creative to look up to. My parents fully supporting her passions with excitement showed me it was okay for me to do the same. I originally started college to be an interior designer (which I hated) because I felt societal pressure to seek a job with a promising salary and benefits. Well, that wasn't exciting enough for me and there was never a doubt I could find just as much success as a literal artist!