About

Nicholas Romeril Portrait 16.11.21

Born and works in Jersey, Channel Islands. 11 October 1967.

Education

1991-3. MA fine art (printmaking). Camberwell College of Art and Design, University of the Arts London.

1988-91.BA (Hons) fine art (painting). Camberwell College of Art and Design, University of the Arts London.

Selected Employment

  • Artist, 1987-present.

Creating paintings, prints, sculptures, site specific art work and virtual reality films for exhibitions, experimentation and clients.

Nicholas Romeril’s work is represented by Chris Beetles Gallery, London and Thomas Dutoit Galerie, Switzerland.

  • Lecturer, 1996-2019.

Lecturer on the  Art and Design courses at Highlands School of Art, Jersey, specialising in painting, printmaking, 2D and 3D visual language.

Completed Certificate in Education (Further & Higher Education) from University of Southampton in 2001.

  • Full time Artist and Designer, 1994-95.

Peter Binnington, Battersea High Street, Battersea, London. Commissioned to design, make and install 52 Verre Eglomise mirrors for the Sultan of Brunei’s London home in Park Lane.

Biography

During his degree at Camberwell, Romeril won the travel scholarship from the Royal Overseas League International Painting Competition. He traveled around Mexico and on his return he exhibited and published his work with the ROSL in St James, London. This was his first real opportunity to travel and explore different cultures which has been a major part of his life ever since.

After graduating, he opened and ran a studio in Brixton, London sharing the space with other recent graduates. He continued to print at Artichoke Print workshop in London and exhibited in several London galleries. Around this time he also worked with Peter Binnington creating bespoke decorative Verre Egolimse mirrors for the Sultan of Brunei.

Concerned with the amount of time he was spending in his own studio he opted for a complete change. Romeril left London and went travelling around South East Asia and Australia for 8 months.

On returning to Jersey, Romeril again, set up a studio, began painting, sculpting, printmaking and started lecturing at Highlands School of Art. He has, since then, held over 30 solo exhibitions and many group shows in London, Switzerland, France, USA and Jersey.

In 2006, Romeril self imposed a period of isolation for two weeks on Les Minquiers, Channel Islands, to create artwork highlighting the spectacular tidal range to this tiny archipelago. He experienced severe weather and was marooned for 10 days without sight of any visitors. From this residency, he created 30 paintings, a deep knowledge, respect and love for small secluded places.

In 2008, he was invited to exhibit one of his large ‘oil on stale’ paintings at ‘Romantics in the Channel Islands” at the Jersey Museum. This has been his only museum show to date.

Romeril has made many ‘Percentage for Art‘ artworks around the island over the last 15 years. The most public is the ‘Herd of Jersey” at the Jersey Dairy, Trinity Showground. He has made others small and large scale works for private developments and continues to achieve high profile commissions.

In 2018, Romeril was awarded the artist in residence for the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute. This has been the most exciting and creative project so far and he learnt a great deal about what he can achieve during an expedition like this. In January 2018, he travelled to Antarctic Peninsular aboard HMS Protector. During the six-week expedition, he travelled to 15 special interest sites, covering over 3,500 miles. He produced more than 200 drawings and paintings, a diary of the journey and a number of virtual reality films. The residency was funded by the Royal Navy and Bonhams Auction House. His responsibility was to create a body of work, exhibit the results and donate a piece to the FoSPRI, SPRI and the Royal Navy. He held 6 solo exhibitions of the work created from this residency in Jersey, London, Switzerland and Ireland.

Early in 2022 Nicholas Romeril was the first Artist in Residency with Wildlife ACT, a conservation NGO saving endangered species, in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and the Drakensberg Mountains in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. He spend 4 weeks on the volunteer program in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi park and 10 days in the Drakensberg mountain studying the endangered Vultures. “EYES ON US” was the first exhibition of the paintings, prints, fragrances, soundscapes, immersive experiences, VR and flat films he has created since his return.

Again in 2023, with Wildlife Act, Romeril took part in the volunteering program on North Island, Seychelles to monitor the hatching turtles (Green and Hawksbill), the population of giant tortoises, eradicate invasive plant species and count and record flotsam and jetsam collected from the beaches. He created 40 field paintings, shoot footage for VR films and did all the volunteers program.

The objectives for both artist in residency programs are:

  • Create tangible artefacts which encourages cultural engagement
  • Create exhibitions/events promoting Wildlife Act mission statement
  • Create inspiring connections between the environmental issues and the audience including the local communities.
  • Encourages communication with volunteers and tourists
  • Raise funds through selling artwork

A percentage of the sales will be donated by Nicholas Romeril to Wildlife ACT and Voice Art And Social to support their mission and to raise funds for the local communities around the park. The ultimate goal is to fund a mobile library and establish a local art school.

Romerils next exhibitions will be held at the Thomas Dutoit Gallery in Switzerland (May) and the Chris Beetles Gallery in London November 2024.

Social Feed