By Michael Gonzales – Hesse
Photo of Liam Nickerson
Cape Cod Community College’s Tilden Art Center is a hub for art majors like Liam Nickerson. Liam shares that while he takes mandatory classes at 4Cs, such as communications, he continues to practice his artistry daily. He describes art as his true calling and has been at 4Cs for over seven years as a liberal arts major. Liam fell in love with taking art classes during high school. “Painting was an amazing time, the teacher was nice, made me laugh and she always gave me good feedback,” he said. Shortly after graduating high school, Liam enrolled at 4Cs and eagerly took every opportunity to pursue art, starting with an interest in spray paint art.
Liam reflected on his personal growth as an artist over the years. He pulled up photos of his work from a few years ago, noting that his recent piece displayed significantly more detail. Liam said as he has taken more art classes, he has seen improvement in his art which motivates him to keep improving. Liam shared, “Printmaking is my favorite class here and I even do printmaking at home…. learning how to use stencils was a big part of my growth at 4Cs.”
Although he mentioned that he would love an art career he said “my dream profession is to own my own power washing company.” He adds, “I will always feel like an artist in the purest sense…. I had already achieved an art career. I have earned commission for some of my artwork and still work on the side.”
Liam has another passion: playing the piano. He regularly performs jazz and blues at Bread and Roses Cafe on Main Street in Hyannis from 10 a.m. to noon every Monday highlighting his own professional compositions. Liam has taken five art courses over his tenure at 4Cs and plans to continue his education. Liam said, “I only got better with practice and practicing is what I have always done.”
Students and faculty will be able to see Liam’s art in the upcoming spring semester student art show hosted in the Tilden Art Center.
