International selling artist, Nik Fiend, has never been to art school and has, therefore, never been formally educated about the graphic specifics of creating art. Perhaps this lack of technical adaptation is why Nik's paintings and drawings are of paramount originality and expressive imagination. Says Nik, "My art is a form of self discovery." 

Using oils, watercolours, paper collages, acrylics, indian ink, felt pens, airbrushes, ultra violet paints and anything else he can get his hands on, Nik experiments with colour and textures to create his mind-expanding masterpieces. The tools of Nik's work range from his hands to palette knives, matchsticks or simply blobbing paint tubes on a picture, "I like to challenge what is considered acceptable," Nik comments, "When I started to work with oils the first thing I read in an art book was 'Do not use black', so of course I ran out and got a load of black paint!" 

Nor is Nik and Mrs Fiend's home safe from Nik's creativity. Mrs Fiend recalls "Within 24 hours of getting back from a tour of Japan, I walked into our lounge bleary eyed with jet lag to be confronted by a 10 foot high mural of a psychedelic geisha girl! Everywhere we've ever lived has had at least one wall, if not entire rooms, covered in large paintings, maybe Nik thinks he's a caveman!"

(Due to size restrictions an album cover sometimes cannot feature the entire original artwork.)

The first Nik Fiend solo-exhibition -- which featured more than 25 original works of art, spanning the years 1982-90, and including titles such as "Dead Quiff in an Atmospheric Aquarium", "Land Of Milk And Honey", "Frontal Lobotomy" and "Mr. Tree" alongside examples of his extensive record cover art -- took place in January 1990 at an unusual venue, a music club, Ground Zero, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA to widespread critical acclaim.

In response to the success of Nik's American exhibit, a second solo exhibition was organized later that year in July at UK music venue, The Powerhaus, Islington, in London with the additional attraction of a painting created live on-stage by Nik in front of the audience.

"Anything like art or poetry... has become the province of a certain clique of intellectuals who've taken it away from everybody else and said "You won't understand this, we're gonna put it in this gallery", so if you bring it here (music venue) it makes it relevant." - Joolz

"Also, because so many people are familiar with the fact  that I create all of the Alien Sex Fiend album covers, and these were basically music fans, exhibiting at a music venue seemed like a natural progression - and you can have a beer!" Nik continues, "In a way I do the same thing with my artwork that I do with Alien Sex Fiend, I like to challenge and extend the conventional ways of doing things." 

"The paintings remind me of the crazed illuminations you might find in the local psychiatric ward" - Deadline

Throughout the last two decades Nik has continued exploring the realms of computer art, both through works created entirely in the digital realm and also by the manipulation of photographs, drawings and paintings. "It hasn't replaced any of the other methods that I use, I still paint and draw as I always have, it's simply an additional form of creativity" he says. Examples of these creations have been printed in the band's own magazines, the "Fiendzines, and on the covers and booklets of various Alien Sex Fiend releases including the powerful "Information Overload" album (2004) and 2006's "Para-Abnormal" sampler, which marked the tenth anniversary of the ASF's 13th Moon Records label. The release of a Vinyl LP in addition to the CD format of 2010's "Death Trip" album allowed Nik an even bigger canvas for such manipulated record cover art.

In 2013, the original artwork for the "Here Cum Germs" album sleeve, a paper collage with additional ink detailing, was chosen for the "Art Of Judge Dredd" (of 2000AD comic fame) exhibition in Scunthorpe, North Lincs, U.K.

See the "Possessed" Official Album Teaser video
See the video for "Shit's Coming Down (Monster Mix) - Official Promo Edit"

By far, Nik Fiend must be commended for continually and consistently forging new frontiers through the uncompromising yet progressive nature of his band, Alien Sex Fiend, and for continuing his ideology breaking barriers in the art world through his individualistic approach to both creation and exhibition.

"These pieces could stand alone in any gallery" - Alternative Press 
 
Written by Chryste Hall
(updated by Liz Howell)