Hi, I’m Cathy Nichols — mixed media artist, teacher, and lover of all things color and story. I help women reconnect with their creativity through joyful painting, expressive art journaling, and soulful visual storytelling. I’m the creator of Joy of Painting, Art Journal Alchemy, and Create Your Own Oracle Deck - three signature online courses that celebrate beauty, imperfection, and personal expression. I’m also the artist behind three bestselling oracle decks — The Synchronicity Deck, Story Cards, and The Flower Medicine Deck — all designed to inspire intuitive insight and creativity. Whether I'm teaching color theory, leading retreats, or painting birds and blooms, my goal is to help others make art that feels both magical and meaningful.
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NEW Autumn Paintings & 2 Days Left for Early Bird Pricing to France!
Published 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader!
There is something so magical about the Autumn light - if you look outside your window, you can see that everything suddenly looks golden. It's a wonderful time to paint sunflowers, zinnias and dahlias, and I want to share two new pieces with you today! And, speaking of sunflowers, there are 2 days left to join me in FRANCE during poppy and sunflower season for a magical retreat I'm co-hosting with floral jewelry designer, Kate Sydney. When you sign up by 10/14, you will recieve 5% off of your registration as part of our Early Bird sale.
Learn how to create these lovely fussy-cut fodder zinnias with me today! Fussy cut collage pieces are a unique way to add magic to your mixed media projects, and I show you how to create these cuties step-by-step today in the Fodder Challenge! There is still time to sign up with the link below - and you also get access to classes from the 10 other teachers!
Botanica: From Petal to Pendant Join me and jewelry artist Kate Sydney in the heart of Périgord, France for a magical mixed media & jewelry retreat in July 2026. Inspired by the colors, light, and natural beauty of the French countryside, we’ll paint expressive botanical mixed media paintings and create exquisite botanical jewelry that reflects the spirit of this special place. This 9 day retreat also includes incredible french meals and excursions to Sarlat, an authenic brocante (flea market), gorgeous world heritages sites like Rocamador, and the chateau of Josephine Baker (we will decide exactly where we'd most like to visit as the retreat gets closer - but these have been some of my favorite highlights!).
Making magic with color, collage, and a sprinkle of soul.
Hi, I’m Cathy Nichols — mixed media artist, teacher, and lover of all things color and story. I help women reconnect with their creativity through joyful painting, expressive art journaling, and soulful visual storytelling. I’m the creator of Joy of Painting, Art Journal Alchemy, and Create Your Own Oracle Deck - three signature online courses that celebrate beauty, imperfection, and personal expression. I’m also the artist behind three bestselling oracle decks — The Synchronicity Deck, Story Cards, and The Flower Medicine Deck — all designed to inspire intuitive insight and creativity. Whether I'm teaching color theory, leading retreats, or painting birds and blooms, my goal is to help others make art that feels both magical and meaningful.
Read more from Cathy Nichols - Mixed Media Artist, Teacher & Oracle Deck Creator
Hello Reader, It’s here! My biggest sale of 2025 has officially begun — and everything in my shop is 20% off now through Monday, December 1st at 11:59 PM EST. This is my biggest sale of the year — enjoy it all, and may you have a beautiful holiday season! xo, Cathy Use code HOLIDAY20 at checkout. ✨ Everything is included: All online classes Art Journal Alchemy (first time EVER on sale!) Joy of Painting 2026 – A Year of Flowers (Annual Membership) Oracle decks 2026 Calendars Prints & greeting...
Bonjour Reader! Today is our LAST DAY of EARLY BIRD PRICING for "Botanica: from Petal to Pendant" -- the lovely art retreat in Perigord France in July 2026. When you book by midnight tonight, you will save 5% on the trip! If you've been on the fence, now is the perfect time to YES to adventure! We have such a wonderful group of women already coming on this trip, I know you will love all of them as well as Kate Sydney! This is going to be a fabulous group and a way to see one of the most...
Hello Reader, I hope you’ve been enjoying the magic of Art Journal Alchemy! We’re stepping into Week 2, and I’ve added 3 brand-new prompts and video demos to keep you inspired and creating in your journal. Last week we began with Collect, Arrange, and Decorate—and I loved seeing the gorgeous pages you shared in our Art Journal Alchemy Facebook Group. Thank you for bringing so much beauty and imagination to the circle! This set of journal pages is from Katrina Shoemaker in our class and...