Barbara Nicholls' monumental watercolour works emerge by manipulating the behaviour of pigment in ever-increasing quantities of water. 
 
Nicholls says ‘When I create my watercolours on paper I recall places I have experienced and others I imagine as the work forms. Some seen and others sensed. I remember ancient meandering pathways; natural and man-made dams and bridges across rivers; the controlled carrying of water in aqueducts and canals; flooded fields with lines of debris left behind after the water has retreated; tide marks on beaches; cumulus clouds over hills reflected in ponds; coloured mineral and sediments forming lines on the banks of rivers; varying depths and shapes of geological layers in cliffs and quarries revealing past events and movements of the earth.
 
She has had her work widely exhibited and has held several residencies internationally, in the UK, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, and Brazil. She has also been the recipient of a number of bursaries and awards. Her work is held in the collection of Musuem Kurhaus Kleve Germany, The New Art Gallery Walsall UK,Willhelm Kaiser Museum Germany and private collections in UK, France, USA and Iran.

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Nicholls studied at Goldsmiths College for a BA Fine Art (1982-86), University of East London MFA (1996-98) and Doctorate in Fine Art (2000-06).