# Dominic Nicholas Studio > Art something. ## Posts - [Blood Bullets](https://dominicnicholas.art/blood-bullets/): Dimensions : 32 x 42 x 10 inches Medium : encaustic wax, the artist’s blood, oil paint, plasticized elastane (aka Lycra), wire, metal rod Made : Nov 2018 – Mar 2021 Featured photograph by Francine Zaslow Photography About This project was motivated by the ongoing mass shootings in the USA. I wanted to make a piece that conveyed some of this shock and discomfort through a metaphorical representation of the tearing of American social fabric. The cast bullets are exact replicas of those used in an AR-15 rifle, a weapon now largely associated with mass shootings. They contain my own blood, seeking to […] - [Horseshoe Crabs](https://dominicnicholas.art/horseshoe-crabs/): Dimensions : 19 x 12 x 3 inchesMedium : shed horseshoe crab exoskeletons, wood, paint, wireMade : Oct-Nov 2023 About The collection of horseshoe crab blood by US drug companies for research, even though synthetic alternatives exist, is poorly regulated, cruel and needs to stop. The crab shells are painted black to convey demise. They float over a bright crab-blood blue background and are arranged carefully to feel like a museum antiquity of the past. Detail - [COVID Ashes](https://dominicnicholas.art/covid-ashes/): Dimensions : 63 x 42 inches Medium : wood charcoal and ashes, epoxy resin, ultra-flat black paint Made : 2019-2023 About Made from the charcoal and ashes of fires shared with friends during the COVID years, the piece conveys both the darkness and fear of these times, and reminds us of our need to stay connected to one another. Viewed quietly and close up, it is a monolithic memorial to both those lost in COVID. Detail Making - [Golden Gassy Award](https://dominicnicholas.art/golden-gas-shut-off-valve-award/): Dimensions : 5 x 5 x 1 inches Medium : cast plaster, gold paint Made : 2019 – 2021 About Created to recognize environmentalists working on raising awareness of gas leaks and awarded to former Massachusetts Representative Lori Ehrlich, Audrey Schulman, Robert Ackley and others. Made from a discarded gas valve cover found during researching gas leaks. Making - [Torn](https://dominicnicholas.art/torn/): Dimensions : 39 x 47 x 3 inches Medium : encaustic wax, burlap sack cloth, ashes, cord Made : Mar 2018 – Jul 2018 About This project was motivated by the USA’s ‘zero tolerance’ approach in 2018 that led to the separation of immigrant children from their parents at the American border. America has the room and wealth to share with those less fortunate and immigration should be made easier, not harder. The ‘zero tolerance’ family separation policy and treatment of families was a dark time that left many feeling outraged. The piece represents rupture and separation against a backdrop of something un-American […] - [American Identity](https://dominicnicholas.art/american-identity/): Dimensions :  48 x 48 x 2 inches (individual panels: 9 x 9 inches)Medium : plaster, paper, wire, acrylic, wood, the artist’s fingerprintMade : Feb 2016 – May 2018 About Anti-immigration rhetoric in American politics grew in 2017-2021, and exploded in 2025 . I use my own personal immigrant identity against as a backdrop to a society fractured in its views towards immigrants. The individual panels are plaster casts representing damage but latent with the hope and expectation of repair. The colorless flag represents faded values, while in the forefront a fingerprint of an immigrant (the artist’s) spans and the fractured components. We […] - [Brush](https://dominicnicholas.art/brush/): Dimensions : 48 x 6 x 5 inches Medium : brush, jute twine, glue Made : May 2014 About While attending a MassArt course called Form in Space (advertised as focusing on “… issues central to thought and practice in three-dimensional art and design” and taught by Greg Mencoff), we tried an interesting exercise exploring denying the functions of objects. In this example result, the bristles of a brush are replaced with something to be combed. - [Chair Rewilding](https://dominicnicholas.art/chair-rewilding/): Dimensions : approximately 10 feet long x 3 feet tall Medium : chair Made : Mar 2014 About While attending a MassArt course called Form in Space (advertised as focusing on “… issues central to thought and practice in three-dimensional art and design” and taught by Greg Mencoff), we tried an interesting ideation exercise which explored denying the functions of objects. In this example, I deconstructed a common chair and planted it in a woods as a piece of sculpture. It would be fun to do more public outdoor art although hopefully better than this project 😉 While attending a MassArt course called Form in […] - [Bone Flower](https://dominicnicholas.art/bone-flower/): Dimensions : 8 x 6 x 2 inches Medium : dog bone (presumably bovine), steel rod Made : 2008 About My friend Joanna grew up off-grid in the woods in Vermont. Their beloved dog, Sal, would chew dog bones and leave them scattered in the woods. After Sal passed away, I took one of his old bones from the woods, sliced it up and mounted and framed the slices like a museum specimen as a memorial to that lovely old dog. - [Glasswork - Pendant Lamps](https://dominicnicholas.art/glasswork-pendant-lamps/): Between 2001 and 2004, I fell in love with the art and craft of glassblowing – a technically challenging and demanding craft requiring complete focus and precise team choreography in an environment of heat, noise, smoke and danger. In other words – perfect! For a few years, I had a small business making hand-blown glass lighting. The golden cone pendant shade featured here is something I practiced for years until getting the process down. Below are some examples of pendant lamps I made during this time. Click on a photograph for more details. On/off pictures are aligned. Scroll down to […] - [Glasswork - Torchiere Lamps](https://dominicnicholas.art/glasswork-torchieres/): Between 2001 and 2004, I fell in love with the art and craft of glassblowing – a technically challenging and demanding craft requiring complete focus and precise team choreography in an environment of heat, noise, smoke and danger. In other words – perfect!! For a few years, I had a small business making hand-blown glass lighting. Below are some examples of torchiere lamps I made during this time. Click on a photograph for more details. On/off pictures are aligned. Scroll down to the end for a glassblowing slideshow. The glass-blowing process of making a cone shaped lamp: - [Glasswork - Table Lamps](https://dominicnicholas.art/glasswork-table-lamps/): Between 2001 and 2004, I fell in love with the art and craft of glassblowing – a technically challenging and demanding craft requiring complete focus and precise team choreography in an environment of heat, noise, smoke and danger. In other words – perfect!! For a few years, I had a small business making hand-blown glass lighting. Below are some examples of table lamps I made during this time. Click on a photograph for more details. On/off pictures are aligned. Scroll down to the end for a glassblowing slideshow showing how these were made. The glass-blowing process: - [Glasswork - Vases](https://dominicnicholas.art/glasswork-vases/): Between 2001 and 2004, I fell in love with the art and craft of glassblowing – a technically challenging and demanding craft requiring complete focus and precise team choreography in an environment of heat, noise, smoke and danger. In other words – perfect!! For a few years, I had a small business making hand-blown glass lighting. Below are some examples of some vases I made during this time. Click on a photograph for more details. - [Paper Elephants](https://dominicnicholas.art/paper-elephants/): Dimensions : 30 x 9 x 1 inchesMedium : cast handmade cotton rag paper Made : Dec 2001 About This is a piece is about letting go to become more aware of those around you. This is a very personal piece about love and seeking connections. I was experimenting with making different types of papers and this piece was made by casting handmade cotton rag paper. The mold was made out of sealed cast plaster, and broken after 2 castings. Detail - [Red Face](https://dominicnicholas.art/red-face/): Dimensions : 24 x 13 x 5 inchesMedium : painted cast plaster of the artist’s face, aluminum mesh, nails, polystyreneMade : 1999 (approx) About Part of a series exploring how it felt to be trapped in the US Immigration and Naturalization System (aka ICE today) for over 5 years. The cast was made by someone covering my face in wet plaster cloth – suffocating like the immigration process. Detail - [Studio Photography](https://dominicnicholas.art/studio-photography/): During the 1980’s I’d been enjoying exploring photography and in the mid-1990’s started studying photographic design concepts. Building off this interest, I enrolled in a Associate of Arts degree course in photography at a San Francisco college for a few years in 1997/1998 where my studies included black & white photography, laboratory and printing, color photography and color printing, photographic design concepts, view camera techniques and studio lighting. A few examples of work from this time are below. All images were composed and shot in-camera and not digitally manipulated or altered in any way. Click on a photograph for more details […] - [White Spine](https://dominicnicholas.art/white-spine/): Dimensions : 36 x 24 x 4 inchesMedium : cast plaster, galvanized steel, steel rodMade : 2000 About Part of a series exploring how it felt to be trapped in the US Immigration and Naturalization System (aka ICE today) for over 5 years. The individual pieces are cast plaster which when de-molded were warm and wet, almost like they were being born. This felt like a metaphor for hope and it was at this exact moment that I also vividly recall realizing how interesting and the process of creating art can be. Detail - [Black and White Photography](https://dominicnicholas.art/black-and-white-photography/): During the 1980’s I’d been enjoying exploring photography and in the mid-1990’s started studying photographic design concepts. Building off this interest, I enrolled in a Associate of Arts degree course in photography at a San Francisco college for a few years in 1997/1998 where my studies included black & white photography, laboratory and printing, color photography and color printing, photographic design concepts, view camera techniques and studio lighting. A few examples of work from this time are below. All negatives were hand-developed and all prints were hand-printed. All images were composed and shot in-camera and not digitally manipulated or altered in […] - [Empty](https://dominicnicholas.art/empty/): Dimensions : 19x 9 x 1 inchesMedium : cast manilla hemp paperMade : 1998 (approx) About Part of a series exploring how it felt to be trapped in the US Immigration and Naturalization System (aka ICE today) for over 5 years. The piece is a literal reference to depleted emotional energy. I was experimenting with making different types of papers and this cast is made from manilla hemp fiber and the mold was made out of sealed cast plaster. Detail - [Black Grid](https://dominicnicholas.art/black-grid/): Dimensions : 24 x 12 x 8 inchesMedium : wire dobie concrete bricks, paint, concrete boardMade : 1998 (approx) About Part of a series exploring how it felt to be trapped in the US Immigration and Naturalization System (aka ICE today) for over 5 years. I’m tried to convey organization and rationalization in an attempt to make sense of a nerve-racking process. Detail - [Red Spine](https://dominicnicholas.art/red-spine/): Dimensions : 24 x 12 x 8 inchesMedium : wire dobie concrete bricks, paint, concrete boardMade : 1998 (approx) About Part of a series exploring how it felt to be trapped in the US Immigration and Naturalization System (aka ICE today) for over 5 years. The piece is trying to convey a sense of raw nerves and discomfort. Detail - [Flag](https://dominicnicholas.art/flag/): Dimensions : 16 x 20 x 3 inchesMedium : silver gelatin print encased in paraffin wax, wax coated linen flag, aluminum, woodMade : 1998 (approx) About Part of a series exploring how it felt to be trapped in the US Immigration and Naturalization System (aka ICE today) for over 5 years. With the wax coated flag fragments and wax coated background quote, I try to convey a feeling of insincerity and contradiction I was feeling between treatment during the immigration process and the underlying core American value of equality. The background is an Abraham Lincoln quote photographed near the Lincoln memorial in Washington, […] - [Self Surreal](https://dominicnicholas.art/self-surreal/): Dimensions : 9 x 7 inchesMedium : Polaroid image emulsion transfer onto elastane (aka Lycra), brass tube, steel rod, 35mm color slide, 35mm black and white negativeMade : 1998 (approx) About Part of a series exploring how it felt to be trapped in the US Immigration and Naturalization System (aka ICE today) for over 5 years. I’m trying to convey the sense of confusion and surreality being experienced. A black and white negative of a long-exposure self-portrait was overlaid with a color slide of clouds. This sandwich of films was then used to expose a color Polaroid film. While the film was still developing, […] - [Stretch](https://dominicnicholas.art/stretch/): Dimensions : 11 x 49 x 2 inchesMedium : Polaroid image emulsion lifts onto elastane (aka Lycra), brass rod, steel rod, plexiglass, slides: 35mm Fujifilm VelviaMade : 1998 (approx) About Part of a series exploring how it felt to be trapped in the US Immigration and Naturalization System (aka ICE today) for over 5 years. This piece tries to convey a sense of tension, strength and vulnerability. Slides of the self portraits used to create Polaroid emulsion lifts which were applied to stretched elastane (Lycra). The emulsion lifts are incredibly delicate skins that tear extremely easily, but are stable once adhered. Detail - [Identity](https://dominicnicholas.art/identity/): Dimensions : 51 x 30 x 2 inches (individual panels: 8 x 5 inches)Medium : acetate prints, plexiglass, copper mesh, copper tube, steel rodMade : 1998 (approx) About Part of a series exploring how it felt to be trapped in the US Immigration and Naturalization System (aka ICE today) for over 5 years. This experimental piece explores both being trapped in a system that has reduced you to just your fingerprints. My intent for the viewer was to discover they were looking at someone’s identity after they drew in closer and peered through the meshes to understand what the obscured abstract blobs were. […] - [Justice (#2)](https://dominicnicholas.art/justice-2/): Dimensions : 13 x 7 inchesMedium : Polaroid image emulsion lifts onto plexiglass, 35mm Fujifilm Velvia slidesMade : 1998 (approx) About Part of a series exploring how it felt to be trapped in the US Immigration and Naturalization System (aka ICE today) for over 5 years. This simple early piece explored conveying a want for inclusion in the dream of freedom symbolized by the artist’s hand juxtaposed with the iconic statue. The disembodied hand is held aloft, drawing attention as it tries to attach awkwardly to the body below it. Photographic slides were used to a create Polaroid emulsion lifts which were then applied […] - [Justice (#1)](https://dominicnicholas.art/justice-1/): Dimensions : 8 x 6 inchesMedium : Polaroid image emulsion lifts onto plexiglass, copper mesh, nails, 35mm Fujifilm Velvia slideMade : 1998 (approx) About Part of a series exploring how it felt to be trapped in the US Immigration and Naturalization System (aka ICE today) for over 5 years. This simple early piece explored conveying a sense of injustice by literally putting the most American icon of freedom and hope out of reach. A photographic slide of the statue was used to a create Polaroid emulsion lift which was then applied to plexiglass. Emulsion lifts are incredibly delicate skins that tear extremely easily, but […] - [Emergency Spinach](https://dominicnicholas.art/emergency-spinach/): Dimensions : 6 x 6 x 2 inches Medium : spinach seeds, glass, wood, copper pipe, chain, rubber Made : 2007 About My (ex) partner loves spinach. This was a birthday gift to her. Behind the glass is a layer of spinach seeds. It hangs in the kitchen today. - [Bread and Pizza Oven](https://dominicnicholas.art/pizza-oven/): Building a wood fired brick pizza and bread oven was a long time dream of mine. I’d been experimenting with making sourdough breads since 2000. When we moved to Vermont in 2007, we met so many incredible and inspirational bread bakers such as Red Hen Baking, Trukenbrod Mill and Bakery, Bohemian Bakery (back when they were a wood-fired bread bakery), O Bread Bakery, Rise Up Bakery, Elmore Mountain Bread and Patchwork Farm and Bakery Vermont’s bread continues to be incredible thanks to these dedicated bakers. In 2018, I had the opportunity to create an oven around which to build community […] ## Pages - [For Sale](https://dominicnicholas.art/sale/): Hand blown glass lampshades. Hover over pictures for details and click to enlarge. Contact me with questions or to schedule a viewing. Items are available for viewing or pickup until marked as sold. Gold lampshades Back to top | Contact Purple lampshades Back to top | Contact Blue lampshades Back to top | Contact Mottled & red lampshades Back to top | Contact - [How it was made.](https://dominicnicholas.art/making/): Blood Bullets Blood Bullets was made between November 2018 and March 2021 and was probably one of the most complex and satisfying pieces I’ve made yet. Each stage of construction required careful thought and experimentation. Some of the failed experiments, such as various types of AR-15 bullet models and making their molds are not included. Things were designed to make the viewer engaging with the piece feel uncomfortable, including the placement of the center-line of the bullets erupting from the fabric being placed centrally, rather than slightly above center. Making American Identity American Identity was made between February 2016 and […] - [Contact](https://dominicnicholas.art/contact/): Dominic Nicholas StudioBrookline, MassachusettsP / 617-515-0099E / dom@dominicnicholas.art - [About](https://dominicnicholas.art/about/): I create art as a way to express ideas and concepts. I’m mostly self-taught and over the years have attended (and occasionally taught) various arts and crafts classes. This site is a collection of my work made using a variety of media and methods and made publicly accessible for the first time. If you have comments, questions or would like to commission work, please feel welcome to contact me. I emigrated to the USA in 1991 and have lived in California, Vermont and Massachusetts, where I now live with my wife and son. Recent Work 2023 : COVID Ashes 2023 […] [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)