A fourth generation artist, Nicole Etienne paints in a style that blends the classic values of traditional still life with the cubist approach of depicting objects without geometric perspective. Her work mirrors her personality: high spirited and contemporary, with a dash of humor. Etienne lives by the words of her favorite philosopher, Henry David Thoreau: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."

During college Nicole gave up an athletic scholarship to follow her true course. She studied art at the Universities of California, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz, discovering an affinity with cubism. You can see this understanding in much of Etienne's work. Objects appear how she sees them, not how perspective tells us they should.

It was at the Lorenzo de Medici School of Art in Florence that Etienne’s artistic talents blossomed. It's said the Italians taught the French how to paint and how to cook; lessons that did not escape Etienne. There, surrounded by thousands of years of architecture and fine art, she developed her style and understanding of what she could achieve. "I wanted to experience everything. It's no good just studying art — you have to study life". This philosophy of Etienne’s is reflected in all of her work.