Sally Nicholson Mixed Media

Vibrant silk and brocade icons of artists, heros, and the endangered form the subject matter of Sally Nicholson’s textile collages. Drawing from an education at the University of California Santa Barbara, Berkeley, and Davis, she earned an independent Bachelor’s degree in art, design and anthropology. Sally spent 25 years in the fashion industry working globally. She was the head designer for Ralph Lauren Westernwear, Calvin Klein Jeans, and Levi’s Dockers. She designed a Japanese brand of womens’ career wear under her maiden name, Sally O’Neill. After raising a family, Sally joined her husband in a boutique M&A firm specializing in the global wine industry. She retrained as a real estate broker and attended Harvard Business School for Executives. Iconography is the language of Sally’s work. Using mythical, heroic and historic symbols, she creates a stylized image of the subject. There is humor and pathos in the motifs that surround the images. A love of beautiful fabrics, intense color and luscious texture is evident in her icons. The great mythologies of the world give the pieces a rich vocabulary. Using the motif of a Tarot or playing card, her subjects receive the costume and props of a sacred and profane nature, a halo and a Putti or their lover as a celestial body. Sally’s nickname is Bijou, she works in her studio in Geyserville, using silk, brocade, and gilded textiles. Images are cut out of fabric, then satin stitched in silk thread to outline and draw in the detail.