My name is Nicola, and I am the founder of esmeblake creative and Esmeblake online Gallery. 

I am mum of 2 and work from my shared studio space at Anteros Arts Foundation in the centre of Norwich above the beautiful Merchants, overlooking the river. I love to paint and find it a very calming practice.

I share my studio space with five other women. It’s a wonderful calm space where we share lots of laughs and lots of cups of tea. It’s great to be surrounded by such talented women who give me lots of encouragement.  

This digital gallery was born out of necessity, but it has become a space of profound possibility. While the financial barriers of a traditional physical gallery kept me from sharing this work offline, creating an online exhibition opened up a much more accessible doorway. This space removes the traditional boundaries of who gets to show art and who gets to see it. Looking forward, this online platform is just the beginning; my ultimate vision is to open these digital doors to other artists, offering them a collaborative, barrier-free stage to share their own stories with the world.