Nicola MacNeil combines illustrations, photographs, letters, postage stamps and envelopes, as well as various other found bits and pieces of paper and string, to create a new image that evokes an intriguing narrative.

Surreal and nostalgic, playful and provocative, MacNeil’s collages transport us to another time and place – before present-day technology and the screens that distract us so much. The vintage illustrations and photographs, reset in various imaginative and evocative ways, give us a front and centre view of whimsical and wistful visual stories – stories that we ourselves create as we think about what the image means to us.

(Photo credits: Nicola MacNeil)

What we like about this artist

We love MacNeil’s vintage sensibility, and her combination of words and images. She assembles the various bits and pieces of paper and string together in absurd and sublime ways, as if taking pieces from different jigsaw puzzles and putting them together to create a new picture. And the effect is stunning – even if (and perhaps especially when) all the pieces don’t fit!

Placing us in a reimagined space – we become Alice in Wonderland among giant mushrooms, or sit leaning against a map of the solar system like we’re sitting at a table – the visual stories MacNeil creates take us to a world of wonder and reflection. The sense of nostalgia in her work is bittersweet in its playfulness and poignancy. The image of two men, who appear to be loading a dinosaur skeleton into an air mail envelope, is delightfully silly; while a torn photograph, the separated pieces offset beside each other in a way that doesn’t quite fit, evokes feelings of separation and regret. And the images from nature and our solar system make us think about how beautiful and big our world really is!

Looking at MacNeil’s work is like revisiting an old letter your grandfather wrote to your grandmother, exploring the universe and going back in time – all in a dream. (Written by C.M.)

Ideas for where you can go from here:

• Take a look at Nicola McNeil’s art. What stories come to mind when you look at her work?
• Pick up a print magazine or two, and select some words and images to cut out and put together.
• Take a moment to explore your own photos, perhaps some old family photographs. How could they be used in a collage?

We love artists because they inspire you to look at things in a different way. Looking at things in a different way allows you to open your mind to other possibilities. Opening your mind to other possibilities is part of the flourishing offline life Young W helps you discover: by exploring ART and the other 8 pillars of Arts & Letters, including those you may be hesitant to try.

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