**[Niki Hare](https://www.cohart.com/niki.255790/profile)** is a self-taught artist who works with a variety of mediums but finds her greatest connection with paint. For her, painting is a language of honesty and direct expression—unfiltered and true to itself. Her word-based paintings evolve organically, with each layer reflecting a stream of unrestrained thought and layering, allowing the words to emerge and find their place, even if buried beneath the surface. Ultimately, each piece embodies the act of speaking, with every word expressed, whether visible or hidden.

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##### Can you describe your artistic process? What materials and techniques do you typically use? 

I mostly work with acrylic for its speed of drying, which is especially useful as I work with multiple layers and stencils. I also like the vast range of colours and metallics available. Initially, I worked with quite a subtle palette, but then I accidentally discovered fluorescent paint, which is always quite transparent and great fun for layering. I use a fair bit of mixed media and collage as well, old bits of paper and newsprint. Charcoal, conte, and pencils add a bit of detail and interest when you see the painting up close. Stencilling with oil does get into a mess, but I do it anyway. The mess makes it quite interesting, though cleaning up the stencils is less interesting.

##### What emotions do you experience when creating your art, and how do they influence the final piece?

My emotions are the painting, both what inspires it and drives it. The painting might just be something I was thinking about, and then, as I’m painting I explore that idea more and that progresses it further. 

Large scale paintings can be quite funny as they can take several days or weeks to finish. I start off feeling a certain way and thinking about something in particular, but then the next day I’m feeling completely different and thinking about something else, and the painting heads off in another direction. I quite like this; nothing is static after all, and it works well with the layers.

##### What is your approach to experimenting with new techniques or styles?

I’m a sucker for experiments and exploring the possibilities of materials. I can get a bit obsessed with new materials for a while. For example, when I first got some resin, I covered everything in it (including the studio). Some things, like metal leaf, become part of my daily practice; other things like cyanotypes and printing are just there for when I have got the time or a particular need for them. Experimenting is all about pushing things and making mistakes, and that’s generally where the best discoveries are made.

##### Can you describe a turning point in your artistic career that significantly impacted your work?

The first word paintings I made were personal, and I never had any intention of showing them. But then I did, and to my surprise people could relate to them. Until then I had been painting as something to do whilst I was trying to find a job, and then it became my job.

##### Has your cultural background influenced your artistic practice?

My great uncle was Mathias Goeritz, who was an artist who did many incredible things such as the _Torres de Satélite_ in Mexico City with Luis Barragán. I never met him; I actually had a flight booked to go and meet him with my family but he died just before. I grew up with very contemporary artwork on the walls and prints from Mathias, in particular, the Circus series. 

Before that, my very first memory is of a painting I had in my bedroom—I think Mathias sent it when I was born. I just remember looking at that painting and being so interested as to what it was all about, but having no expectations that it should look like something. It is like a cave painting with a print of his hand and the idea that someone is feeding animals. I don't really know how to describe it, but looking at art like that before you can even talk or think was something special, and made me want to achieve a feeling or an interest from a painting, rather than wanting it to look too precise.

##### Do you have any rituals or routines that help you get into a creative mindset?

Not really. I think I just happen to have too many ideas, so the problem is to try and stop myself from getting carried away with these and to make myself do what needs doing. I don’t get creative blank spots. Rather, I’m just trying to find time to do all the stacked up ideas that are still waiting.

##### How do you perceive the relationship between art and mental health?

From my end, what keeps me sane, it’s my therapy. I guess I have never been very good at speaking my mind, I just stay quiet to keep the peace. Painting words sounds so simple, but actually I think it’s a very powerful thing. Even if you just paint over the words again, they have still been said. From the audience’s point of view, I guess it’s finding something that you can relate to, something that makes you feel like someone else understands. I feel that there are many things that there are no words for, but a painting can express a sense of them.

##### Are there any symbols, colors, or motifs that recur in your work, and what significance do they hold for you?

I guess I’m known for my stencils and super bright colours, and maybe the layering. When I made the first word paintings I didn’t know that it was already a thing, which was just as well, as I wouldn’t have made them.

##### How do you balance personal expression with audience expectations in your work?

I think I put on different heads for different things. If I’m doing a commission I will listen to the client and follow their instructions. I do point out that a commission is like painting backwards, and that I have minimal control of how it will end up, but I do my best. If I’m working for myself it has to be totally that. I do what I need to do at that moment in time, nobody has to buy it so that’s my freedom. If I’m working on paintings for a show it might be somewhere in the middle, it just depends on the show and what will suit.

##### What do you think is the most important quality for an artist to possess?

If you want to earn a living as an artist you need something that sets you apart: this could be ideas and imagination, or incredible skill. I would say that you have to be authentic and paint for yourself. For me that is the whole point of it, but I’m sure that there are artists doing very well painting for an audience. A really beneficial skill would be to be able to do accounting and run a business, better still to be good at social media. I fail on all of those and still get by, so maybe the bottom line is to be stubborn.

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Niki Hare explores hidden expressions and the power of words via painting, conveying personal experiences to universal connection.

Spotlight: Niki Hare on Painting Words and the Power of Hidden Expression

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