Nicols Hicks' primary media are plaster and straw, and huge sheets of brown paper on which she works up her dynamic charcoal drawings. Many of the sculptures have subsequently been cast in bronze, often with such subtlety that every fragile detail of plaster and straw is reproduced. The study of anatomy and the discipline of drawing cannot be underestimated in Nicola Hicks' work. Although not concerned with mimetic representation her achievement is founded on a unique ability to capture the physicality and psychology of the animal and human figures she creates. Her work often combines charm and menace in equal and sometimes devastating measures.
