Nicholas Grant has returned home.

After being raised in Park City, the emerging visual artist left town nearly 10 years ago to learn about himself and develop his career.

“First I traveled to Europe for 3 months which included France, Belgium, Netherland, Croatia and Ireland,” he said. “Then I spent some time in Florida setting up a studio and painting everyday working from the Ocean front scenery and beauty of Jupiter Island.”

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At the same time, Grant’s attention returned to France, where last year at this time, he spent three months painting from the French Riviera Cannes.

I’m excited to see what I’ll create in a new, but familiar, place.” Nicholas Grant, visual artist

“(I) then returned last summer for a month in Antibes where I rented a space next to The Picasso Museum by the Mediterranean Sea,” he said. “I spent that time away, which was important for me to do when I had the opportunity, to broaden my horizons and get a little perspective of life creatively.”

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His time away proved to be fruitful.

Grant’s first professional exhibit was in 2019 at The Palm Beach Art, Antiques and Jewelry Show in Florida, which showcased artists from around the world which he still shows his art every year since.

He also exhibited and sold three of his pieces, which are surrealist works that focus on nature, during Miami Art Basel, one of the premier art shows in America.

Two were sold through Kipton Cronkite, one of his art dealers from Los Angeles. One work went to a private collector in Newport Beach, California, in a collection that includes a David Hockney. Cronkite purchased the other for his own home in Palm Springs. 

Meanwhile, two of Grant’s works were sold through the auction house at Hotel Drouot, one of the leading auction houses in France. 

During this time, Grant was also visited by renowned art dealer Blaise Parinaud, co-owner of Galerie Messine in Paris, while living in Florida.

The Galerie Messine, which specializes in 20th-century art, was founded in 2008 and showcases impressionism through modern art and post-war paintings and sculptures, according to its website.

Parinaud and his wife, Isabelle Keit Parinaud, are also founders of the Modern Art Fair, which annually gathers more than 60 international galleries under one tent on Champs Elysée. And Parinaud selected some of Grant’s pieces for the 2022 showcase.

“I have met a lot of people in the art world who have opened my eyes to what is possible and how the business works and operates,” Grant said. “Being around that energy has been nurturing.”

Grant’s art can also be found in Paris at the Gallery Messine under The Contemporary representation, and his paintings have been purchased by collectors in Chicago, Lake Forest, California, Utah, Florida, as well as France and Canada. 

“I’m still maintaining the convention circuits and selling work through my dealers, but moving forward, I would love to do more things locally through art shows and pop-up events,” he said. “I have a few friends out here who are in the arts community, and I am looking at what that scene is like.” 

Grant just completed work for The Lobby, a new residential project back in the outskirts of Chicago, where two very large paintings grace the entryway.

He is also getting ready for a show in collaboration with Northern Trust Bank, as their featured artist. The show will open Jan. 9, 2024, for all private-banking members. 

Utah’s art scene attracted Grant, because it is still emerging.

“There are a lot of opportunities to grow with the community as an artist, and show what is cool and exciting about this area,” he said.

Living in Utah for more than 15 years left a “significant impression” on Grant’s personality and craft.

“The local landscape is totally intertwined in what I paint, because there is nowhere else in the world that has this kind of topography,” he said. “There are these insane beautiful spectrums, from red deserts and huge mountains, and I think my artwork wouldn’t be the same if I had been raised in a place that had different scenes.”

Grant’s paintings are mostly created with brushes and acrylic on canvas.

“I’m trying to do more oils and mixed media, and I’m always trying to add new elements or try new subject matter,” he said. “That’s what keeps things exciting for me.”

While the surrounding landscapes inspired Grant’s work, his works come together from different starting points.

“Sometimes I I know exactly what I want a painting to be, and of course, with any project, as you start to put it onto the canvas, it takes on a life of its own,” he said. “Sometimes there are ones I’m not too sure about. And while I’ll know how much aesthetic or color I want to use, I’ll let the creative ideas approach me while I’m working on the canvas. And with both ways, I don’t want to be too rigid with my thoughts, because I need to be fluid with my creativity.”

One of Grant’s fondest memories of living in Park City took place in 2014 where he recreated the Sochi Olympic gold medal on a poster that was distributed to the local community during the parade that honored hometown winter athletes Joss Christensen, Sage Kotsenburg, Ted Ligety and Steve Halcomb. 

Christensen, who was Grant’s roommate at the time, won the freestyle skiing gold, and Grant had the opportunity to hold the medal while painting it on the 8 feet wide original painting. More than 4000 posters were created and distributed for free to the community during the welcome home parade, and the athletes autographed the posters for local residents.

So, it’s serendipitous that the International Olympic Committee announced that Salt Lake City is one step closer to hosting the Winter Games in 2034, just a few weeks after Grant moved back to town.

“It’s been nice seeing old friends and being back in the area,” he said. “I’m also seeing how much things have changed since I’ve been away, but I still love it. I’m just excited to be back, and I’m excited to see what I’ll create in a new, but familiar, place.”