Painting BIG

Nikki Main can’t tell you what compels her to paint every day — only that the drive has always been there. 

“Eat, sleep, drink, create — that’s me,” the Pennsylvania native says. “The ability to make art is a unique aspect of the human experience, and exploring that part of it is absolutely fascinating to me.”

Having settled in her husband’s hometown of Poplarville four years ago, Main has turned her focus to public art. Her work is displayed in the homes of numerous private collectors, as well as places like the Alice Moseley Folk Art & Antique Museum in Bay St. Louis. Already a familiar artistic presence in Poplarville, known by many for her seasonal storefront window displays, Main is showcasing her talent further with projects on the Coast.   

Growing up, Main greatly admired her dad’s artistic ability, and she credits him with teaching her about perspective and proportion. Rather than just watching cartoons, they’d draw them together. 

“All I ever wanted as a kid was to be as good at drawing as he was,” she recalls. “So, I think just wanting to be as good as my dad is what started my art journey when I was really little, and I just never stopped.”

Although she was accepted to the Hussian College, a private art school in Philadelphia, Main passed on the opportunity — not wanting to be saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in student debt. Instead, she took a two-year tattoo apprenticeship. 

As a 19-year-old tattoo artist ready for adventure, Main and some musician friends hopped in an RV and headed to New Orleans. She struggled to find work there and walked away from the industry. 

While living in Slidell, Main hung out in the French Quarter — setting up in front of restaurants and trading food for paintings while her friends played music for tips. 

“One day we set up a little too close to the Kezic Art Gallery on Royal Street, and (gallery owner and artist) Diego (Lukezic) came out to shoo us away but looked at my work and brought me in,” she recalls. “Boom — I went from basically a gutter punk to having paintings in high-end galleries in New Orleans.” 

Art always provided an outlet for Main’s feelings, and the emotions evoked weren’t always happy ones. Although Lukezic praised her work, he told her she was only painting what she wanted; to sell, she’d have to paint what others wanted.

“I started to change my subject matter and saw a big difference in how the artwork was perceived and how well it sold,” she says. 

“And I liked it better this way. I wanted to be a  positive force in the world.”

Main took a brief break from her art career after having her first child, and she went to cosmetology school as a backup. After her second child arrived, she became a stay-at-home mom and spent a few years taking care of her babies and honing her craft. One thing led to another, and Main found herself painting for people in her spare time. Commissions became so steady that she founded Nikki Main Arts LLC.

“Within a short time, my ability and confidence in what I was able produce really grew,” she says. “It felt good to be taking visual information from other people’s favorite moments, places and memories, running it though my soul and (putting it) onto canvas for them.” 

Main specializes in acrylic watercolor painting and charcoal drawing, and she has a small, in-home studio where she keeps all her supplies readily available. She’s done several paintings for businesses, including small murals and logos, and she paints shop windows in Poplarville seasonally — depicting snowmen and carolers at Christmas and blueberry scenes in the summer. 

Every Christmas, she also creates a series of ornaments depicting local landmarks. 

“Last year, I painted 50 of them with the tiniest brush you’ve ever seen,” she says. “While I can paint small, I can also paint big, and I want to do that.”

Eager to do more murals and public art, Main has begun painting trash receptacles for the Alice Mosley Museum, which will be seen across the Coast. She’s also working with the Poplarville Chamber of Commerce on a city hall mural commemorating the town’s status as “Blueberry Capital of Mississippi.” 

In Bay St. Louis, Main has been commissioned to paint the portraits of five very influential African Americans, all from the local area, at Martin Luther King Jr. Park — as well as a wave design on another of the park’s walls. 

“It is a huge honor to be involved with this park project, as I know it’s very meaningful to a lot of people and will be a huge asset to the community there,” she says. 

Main isn’t sure that she can choose her legacy, but she hopes to instill a love and appreciation for art in her children. If she were forever known for her artwork, she adds, “that would be great.” 

Recognizing how powerful art can be, Main thinks it should be accessible to everyone. 

“Right now, were living in a world where we see brilliant works of art primarily though a tiny screen,” she says. “It’s like looking through a keyhole, but I want to open the door and let everyone in.”