About the Artist - Nikolai Oskolkov

Nikolai Oskolkov, simply known as NikO, lives and works in Columbia, South Carolina. He has been involved in fine art since early childhood and has made painting a career since high school. In his 29 years, he has travelled far and wide from Russia to Canada and the US, and throughout Europe and the Caribbean.

After earning a BFA degree at the University of South Carolina, NikO concentrated on rustic depictions of the rural American South and its colorful folk musicians. In more recent years, NikO has developed into broader, independent subject matter, spontaneously painting everything from mood landscapes, still life, historical portraits and mythical allegories. Among these, NikO loves to draw and paint beautiful women, who, in his opinion, make our world so much more exciting!
The calm woman, who is enjoying time out on the Lowcountry water, featured on this month’s cover is of NikO’s dear long-time friend, colleague and compatriot Olessia Maximenko. As a painter of Lowcountry genre scenery, Olessia has been a major professional influence in NikO’s life. For years, the two artists have pursued a true “friendly competition,” always critiquing and learning from each other’s work.

Defining himself as a “visual musical composer,” NikO constantly expands his own creative vocabulary from the observation of nature and use of imagination. He also believes that regular practice is the only way of hopefully mastering the lyrical instrument of painting.
NikO sends everyone a message of simple optimism and good humor with a motley palette of dancing satyrs, figures at rest, lush landscapes and towering clouds!

NikO is glad to work on portrait and other fine art commissions. He is represented at I. Pinckney Simons Gallery on Bay Street in historic, downtown Beaufort, S.C. and conducts business independently from his online gallery. Check out NikO’s collection of fine art at www.nikoartonline.com.