Over the past decade, Nicole de Mestre’s work has evolved. Her textile and wire sculptural creations and installations are not only aesthetically pleasing, they are also an artistic plea to embrace sustainable practices in everyday actions.

Just as limpets scrape unwanted algae from the intertidal zone, Nicole scours her coastal streets searching for discarded materials to repurpose into mixed media artworks, some of which are actually limpets. Doormats, guy ropes, outdoor furniture, roofing tin and fans are a few of the treasures Nicole salvages, and reinvents as sculptural forms with pattern, texture, colour and shape guiding her process.

For Nicole, resources are everywhere, and everything has potential. Her works reflect a curious attachment to times past and things lost, an increasing frustration with the prolific waste of modern society and a healthy obsession with liquid nails. Nicole sees beauty in what is discarded. Her underlying hope is that those who encounter her works will be inspired to re-evaluate what they consider garbage, urging us to be more conscious of the environmental impact we have on our increasingly fragile planet.

Nicole regularly exhibits, conducts workshops, and has been a finalist in both North Sydney and Gosford Art Prizes. She has also exhibited in many sculpture prizes, including Woollahra Small Sculpture, Sawmillers, Sculpture at Scenic World, and Sculpture in the Vineyards. In this exhibition, her handmade artistry combines with the hidden and alluring narratives embedded in her chosen materials, which adds new depth to her creations. Nicole de Mestre’s Scraping By exhibition is at Timeless Textiles gallery, 30 August – 1 October 2023. The opening is 31 August 2023 at 6pm.