Nicollette Smith grew up in the industrial part of West Berkeley , the eldest of three sisters. After finishing high School where she had been introduced to the fine arts and worked on several theatrical productions in scenery making, she traveled Europe on a quest for artistic inspiration. She began painting soon thereafter and has since explored a panorama of subjects and mediums with incredible force and honesty. Her motifs are varied but she has always been influenced by the industrial decay she had witnessed as a young girl.

Sitting in her studio, thinking, drinking tea, watching the gray bunny at her feet, leaning over maps, absorbed in work, she is not unlike the deceptively subtle and highly stylized works of art that she herself creates.


In my quest to perfect I am searching for order in the universe. For this reason I work in series. The first is not the worst and the last is not the best but in that process I am able to map what works and what doesn’t. In this attempt to create order out of the chaos of my universe I am learning to embrace the imperfection too.


Nicollette has trained at numerous art workshops and at Berkeley City College, Laney College, and Diablo Valley College, although she considers herself largely self-taught.

• Solo Show, Remedy Salon, Emeryville CA
• "Bay Area Women Artists" juried by Donna Seager, O’Hanlon Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
• MOCHA Gallery Art Exhibit and Gala, Oakland, CA
• "BLAGE", Collage and Assemblage Show at O’Hanlon Gallery, Jurors: Cayen Robertson and Carolyn Planakis; Mill Valley, CA

• Solo Show, Giorgi Gallery; Berkeley, CA

• Solo Show, "Recent Works"; 1331 61st St., Emeryville, CA

• Solo Show, Parkside, San Francisco CA

• Group Show, 16th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition, Emeryville, CA Curator: Paul Tomidy, Jurors: Seb Hamamjian, Director, Tercera Gallery, San Francisco Stephan Jost, Director, Mills College Art Museum, Oakland

• Group Show, 15th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition, Emeryville, CA. Curator: Paul Tomidy, Jurors: Lizabeth Oliveria, Oliveria Gallery, San Francisco Michelle Townsend, Director, HANG Gallery, San Francisco
• Group Show, The Junius Gallery

• Group Show, 14th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition, Emeryville, CA Curator: Paul Tomidy, Jurors: Carlos Loarca, Director, SomArts Gallery, San Francisco Rachel Osajima, Director of Exhibitions, Richmond Art Center, Richmond
• Group Show, The Junius Gallery
• Pro-Arts Annual Open Studios; Oakland/Emeryville, CA

• Group Show, 13th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition, Emeryville, CA, Curator: Paul Tomidy
• Group Show, The Junius Gallery
• East Bay Open Studios

• Group show, 12th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition, Emeryville, CA, Curator: Paul Tomidy
• Pro-Arts "New Visions"; Oakland, CA
• Scenic painter for Duke Productions, Emeryville, CA
• Scenic painter for "See" Productions, Las Vegas, NV and Scientific Art Studio, Berkeley CA.

• Group Show, Bucci's Emeryville, CA
• Assisted large Sculpt for Calcus Studios, Paris France
• Commissioned to produce original painting for private party
• Painted decorative entry, sign, and window, Swan's Way, San Francisco, CA
• Assisted professional Sculptor on mold and finishing of 5 classical style sculptures, Michelangelo's, San Francisco

• Co-painted two murals for private client in Honolulu, HI.

• Group Show, Mechanics Bank, Oakland CA