nicholas The “loaf”
boyd
Importance of the Colony
by Jenn Allen
Some people associate skulls
with death, but Nicholas
Boyd, who paints under the
pseudonym Loaf, sees them as
a symbol of life as well. Wary
of becoming a skull painter,
Boyd tries to expand the sub-
jects of his work but admits he
is fascinated with anatomy and
that skulls continue to make
their way into his paintings.
The human skull is a univer-
sal symbol, which is one of
the reasons that Boyd’s paint-
ings are so successful. When
viewing his work, whether
you see them as signifying life
or death, it is clear that he is
starting a conversation.
Boyd’s goal as an artist is to
create these conversations
about the relevant topic of
life and death. He keeps his
art vague enough so it is up
the viewer to formulate their
unique conclusion. “I see
illustrations, and they’re in-
tricate and full of detail, but
you immediately know what’s
happening. To me, when you
get rid of that mystery, the
work becomes boring,” Boyd
explains. “I’d rather the view-
er wonder what I am trying to
say. Even if they get it wrong,
they are still processing and
trying to fi gure it out.” By cre-
ating these open-ended topics
of discussion, Boyd is inviting
his audience to be actively par-
ticipating in the experience of
viewing art.
By using universal symbols
and eye-catching color pal-
ettes, Nicholas Boyd’s paint-
ings are easy to approach, yet
complicated to dissect. The
accessibility of his art draws
a unique community of art-
ists and art enthusiasts alike.
Orlando Arts & Culture, v. 2.6
above: Iron Herse, acrylic on canvas
below: To Bee Dead XIII, acrylic on canvas
Creating this strong sense of
community is important to Boyd.
Without a supportive commu-
nity, his transition from a tradi-
tional blue-collar worker into
his career as a fi ne artist would
have been much more diffi cult,
and might not have occurred at
all. As a child, Boyd would prac-
tice drawing using animals from
magazine pages as references.
While in school, he enjoyed cre-
ating art, but once he moved into
high school, he lost touch with
his artistic side. “I was never told
not to be an artist, but it was also
never encouraged.” By an act of
serendipity, while searching the
internet, Boyd came across the
work of artist Jeff Soto. Soto is a
contemporary painter and mural-
ist whose style has been said to
bridge the gap between street art
and pop surrealism. When Boyd
saw Soto’s art, it was the fi rst
time he was exposed to work
of that caliber. “I am constantly
looking at his work,” he says, “I
was not looking for inspiration at
the time, and I know it was out
there, but he came across my ra-
dar and I just fell in love. I started
sketching again.” It was not until
2006 that Boyd decided to pur-
sue art. He began to sketch so
frequently that his friends noticed
and encouraged him to go to Full
Sail University to study design.
“I wanted to be a designer be-
cause I did not have the confi -
dence to become a fi ne artist,”
Boyd admits, “but as soon as
I took my fi rst art class, I met
Steve Parker.” Parker, who now
is the owner and co-curator of
Redefi ne Art Gallery, connected
with Boyd and they soon became
friends. Using supplies that he
gathered for his class, Boyd and
Parker would meet up outside of
school and paint together. This
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