Nadia Tuercke's work brings together subtle colour palettes, textured layers and simplified forms, taking inspiration from textile design, quilting, and “anything with an unexpected arrangement, unusual colour combination or surprising clash of print or pattern. Quite honestly I can get excited about pretty much anything if there’s some element of beauty and weirdness to it".

On the subject matter found in her work, Nadia says:

“Focusing on plants as subject matter began during lockdown while searching for inspiration in my immediate environment. My own family of palms, cacti and succulents became the main focus of my work. More recently, other elements have found their way in, such as ceramics. Including ceramic cups, bowls and pots in my painting compositions is a new area of interest because it has enabled me to explore how the rich, varied surfaces of ceramics deepens the textural qualities of a painted scene.  Plus, I was rarely very good at ceramics at art school, so a career as a ceramicist was always unlikely! So this is a way for me to pay homage to the beauty I find in ceramic pieces".

There are also references to the artists who influence her work, including Margaret Preston, Milton Avery, Tom Thompson, Pierre Boncompain, Pere Torné Esquius and Jean Arene. Analysing how these artists use colour, light or their ability to create a sense of movement are the inspiring visual references for how Nadia approaches the challenge of creating compositions that keep the eye moving around a painting.  

Much of her own work is drawn from imagination, and the subjects have evolved into something entirely fictional. "What goes on in my head is far more interesting than anything I could lay out in front of me on a table”.

Nadia works from her garden studio in East London. Recently her work has been exhibited at The Peanut Vendor in London and is currently on display at No.1 Guest House in York, as selected by interior designer Martin Hulbert.