Banner artwork: Brian Nickila, Pilots, acrylic on panel, 36" x 24", 2004.
(Reproduced for access+ENGAGE with permission by the artist)
About his work, Nickila writes: "I’ve been using mostly ink and watercolor to create my pieces; it is a medium that 
can cause mistakes and spills and messiness—permanent flaws in the work. These imperfections inspire me to move in unexpected directions; without them, the pieces become static and cold. I then take these drawings and paintings, sever them from their paper surroundings, mutilate them and collage the pieces with their fellow imperfections. Through this process, individual pieces become characters whose combinations become snippets of a larger story. The end result, when everything comes together, is what really intrigues me; because, when all is said and done, that’s all we humans are—a collection of imperfections forced to live together.
"I hope to, at the very least, challenge the status quo. I want others to think again about what they’ve always known to be true, and to question those preconceptions; I want the viewer to leave my pieces less certain than when they arrived, and I want absolutely nothing to be resolved. I will provide the tools to create the wound; I will not provide the healing."
About the artist: Brian Nickila was born in 1978 in Virginia, Minnesota; he currently lives and works in Minneapolis. Nickila received his bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point in 2006. In December he will be moving into the Tilsner Artist Co-op in St. Paul. You can see more examples of his work on his website or on mnartists.org/brian_nickila. Inquiries about specific pieces may be directed to the artist.
Brian Nickila is one of five Minnesota artists whose work has been selected to accompany mnartists.org's newly commissioned mnLIT story, The Four Hermans, written by Brian Beatty, a 2009 grand prize-winner in the flash fiction category.
Image credits: (Middle right) Guilt. pen and ink and watercolor on paper, 5" x 8", 2008. (Middle left) Photo courtesy of the artist. (Bottom right) Twins in Striped Shirts, ink, gesso, and watercolor on paper, 5.25" x 4.75", 2008.