Painting lawyer Nikol Řeháková

For some, art becomes a job, for others it remains a hobby they pursue in their spare time. But one thing we all have in common is that we cannot live without art.

This time we have focused our attention on the work of Nikol Řeháková from Třinec, Czech Republic who works under the name Painting Lawyer.

"When I was a kid, I was creating all sorts of crazy things, from a painted crumpled ball of tinfoil wrapped with beaded wires representing a planet to the creating of my first scrapbook," says Nikol about her beginnings. Nikol was intensively involved in art already from her attending primary art school and during her studies at the secondary school. The turning point, however, came when she entered university, when she had to devote herself to studying the law, so all the other interests had to be left for later.

"After university, I started working in advocacy and after a year there I found out that I missed creating a lot. I signed up for a weekend course, which excited me and showed me the direction I was headed at the end," describes Nikol her return to creating. "I started attending an art studio in Ostrava every week, began studying at the Musical school and also took courses in figure drawing and painting. The education I have received over the past four years has helped me a lot to move forward in my work and cultivate my artistic expression," she adds.

In her work, Nikol is mostly creating portraits and also abstraction, which may seem at first glance to be two very contrasting themes. In the end, however, they are well to the details thought through paintings. "Even in realistic things we can, in essence, see abstraction, and that's what I really like about this style. I'm not an advocate of 'throw it on the canvas and it will be an abstraction'. I think abstract art is an incredible science where you can always find something new."

"I also like to paint outdoors, where I try to capture the landscape, mostly in watercolours. But I don't shy away from other subjects, such as still life. I think the variety of work helps the artist to develop the skills and opens up new horizons. In my resin paintings, for example, I try to combine abstraction with drawing and painting," continues Nikol to describe her work.

Nikol also enjoys self-study of art theory and various technologies, finding information mostly in books from abroad. In addition to art books, she also enjoys buying art supplies.

"I never leave the art supply store without buying at least a new eraser. I use a variety of sketchbooks and notebooks a lot. I like to practice sketching portraits, for which I now use a sketchbook and Progresso 6 set, and when drawing portraits in charcoal and pastel I use Gioconda Extra Charcoal pencil and a set of dry pastels. Lastly, I must also confess that I absolutely love Koh-i-noor's blue violet acrylic paint, and have yet to find any other that can compete with it. But now I'm not sure if I should reveal it, lest everyone buy it," adds with a smile.

During the pandemic, Nikol not only successfully passed her law exams, but also worked hard on her art projects, which brought her a nomination in a prestigious international art competition. Follow the Painting Lawyer on social media or visit her website for more information about Nikol.