Nikki Pilgrim

Hey there, thanks for stopping in!

I am a contemporary watercolor artist, illustrator, & FOUNDER of Caravan Artist Market.

A NH native, I received my BFA from the Maine College of Art in 2007, with a focus in printmaking & have since been living, & making art on the coast of Maine. 

I am a habitual maker, I have always been compelled to be producing work in a variety of mediums, after completing my undergrad, I found my happy place in painting. 

I love opulent color, movement, pattern, & funk. While some of my paintings contain symbolism, my work of late is purely inspired by the beauty that we are surrounded by here in Maine. 

I take endless inspiration from being outside in my garden & in nature with my family. From the mountains, to the woods, to the beach. I find so much therapy & influence from my time spent on the coast, especially with the ocean, & watching the waves. The abyss of the sea is like a temple to me, the moody blues, constantly changing, the movement, the reflection of light, & its vastness.

After loosing access to a press, I (re)started as a mixed media artist. I began painting on wood, primarily with watercolor, & have since developed my own techniques. My partner, then frames my work for me, in a way that compliments & turns every painting into a beautiful lasting keepsake. Working on wood lends me so much freedom, & flexibility, with integrity. It allows me to achieve more layering, color saturation, contrast, & boldness not commonly found in traditional watercolor paintings - while still embracing its lovely translucency, ability to move, wash, & blend.

I work from my home studio in Bath, where painting revolves around our small family of 3, & is always at the heart & center, of our plant filled, sun drenched dinning room. It’s where you can find me working from morning into late in the night.

After participating in numerous artist & makers markets, I fell in love with the community it creates within fellow artists and makers. I wanted to promote & nurture that platform for myself & other creative entrepreneurs. It started at a venue dear to me - Frontier, with its first market in 2017 known as ‘Frontier MillRun’ & it has since evolved out of necessity, & flourished into CARAVAN. A unique artist market that travels to venues indoors & out, with an ever-changing vendor lineup.

My bottomless desire to paint & create, as well as the camaraderie & fulfillment of supporting others who do the same, fuels me with energy, creativity, & endless making.  

A form of art & my way of life. 

“The mark of all good art is not that the thing done is done exactly or finely, for machinery can do as much, but that it is worked out with the head and the work (wo)man's HEART. - Oscar Wilde

Thank you for taking the time to view my work! Make sure to check out my 'Happenings' to see what the latest is.

Follow on Instagram @ _nikkipilgrim_art_ & @caravan_artistmarket

Cheers! Nikki