Nicole Mollett is a socially engaged artist whose primary medium is drawing. Her wider practice includes sculpture, performance and public art. Her drawings are visually rich in detail and often celebrate alternative histories and forgotten places. She draws imagined realities, which are compositions using images from early encyclopaedias together with archival prints, photographs and found objects. Nicole is interested in museums, public spaces and the role cultural heritage plays within communities. She has worked on several participatory regeneration projects across the UK, and promotes a more democratic, collaborative and inclusive approach to creating art. Nicole was practitioner in residence at Royal Museums Greenwich during our Season of Drawings (April - June 2023) – a programme of events inspired by our exhibition The Van de Veldes: Greenwich, Art and the Sea. Nicole’s residency at Royal Museums Greenwich During her residency at Royal Museums Greenwich, Nicole investigated our complex relationship with water and the sea. “I looked at the importance water has in shaping our lives and society, and how access to water and our ability to navigate the oceans has played a key role in civilisations globally,” she says. In addition to running free public workshops, Nicole created a series of pieces in response to the work of the Dutch marine artists, Willem van de Velde the Elder and his son Willem van de Velde the Younger. “I looked at how the artists used ink to describe the waves, and observed how they described human behaviour at sea,” she explains. Her residency culminated with the creation of a panoramic seascape drawing, which features drawings of ‘melting ships’ – vessels covered with the forms of seafarers and mythical creatures. Follow Nicole on Instagram Inside Nicole's sketchbook See a selection of Nicole's sketches and drawings created during her residency 1 / 6 "Ink sketch of ship sailing through baroque waves" Find out more about Nicole's work 2 / 6 "Drawing details from Van de Velde pen paintings and testing out workshop ideas" 3 / 6 "Sailors hoisting the sails. Detail study of Van de Velde pen painting" 4 / 6 Drawings of storm ships 5 / 6 Details from Nicole's studio 6 / 6 Details from Nicole's studio Drawn Together | Season of Drawings From workshops to talks, explore the importance of drawing in this special creative season, inspired by The Van de Veldes: Greenwich, Art and the Sea The Van de Veldes: Greenwich, Art and the Sea From across the sea, an art revolution is coming. Discover the art of the Van de Veldes at the Queen's House A Sea of Drawings: the art of the Van de Veldes Why do artists draw, and what can their sketches teach us about their skills and techniques? Take a closer look with the unique Van de Velde drawings collection Residencies at Royal Museums Greenwich Find out more about the Residency Programme at Royal Museums Greenwich – an exciting, collaborative initiative for practitioners of all mediums to explore, interrogate and to bring to life the collections Take a look Images courtesy of Nicole Mollett.