ABOUT THE

Artist

BIO

Nicole Berger is a fine artist who specializes in painting and drawing, and is based in northern New Jersey. She holds a background in music, visual arts, and education, with a Bachelor’s Degree in fine art, a Master’s Degree and beyond in education and arts integration, and holds three teaching and supervision certifications. She spent over a decade working as a classroom teacher, art teacher, and STEAM coordinator. In 2019, she shifted her focus to her studio practice and to starting a family. She has exhibited in venues across the New York City metropolitan area and her work is held in private collections throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

ARTIST STATEMENT

There are two passions that have been quietly bringing me peace and inspiration for as long as I can remember, and today they are at the heart of my artistic practice: creating art and reading.

My art practice is founded on my dual love of art and literature. My work embraces romanticizing the emotions and luxuriating in the atmospheres of beloved stories. My goal is to celebrate the feelings that you experience upon finishing a great book, the fleeting moments when the words on the page end, but you still feel captivated and are suspended within the story. My vision lies within that space where imagination overlaps with reality, the liminal space between dreaming and waking.

My work explores the emotional residue of stories… the wonder of witnessing the impossible, the yearning for places that do not exist, the longing for people we can never meet, and the nostalgia for moments we have never lived.

Through my art, I seek to preserve the attachments and connections that we form with stories—the feelings, dreams, and fragments that remain with us, change us, and become a part of us.

I typically create with graphite and colored pencil, ink, marker, acrylic, gouache, watercolor, and oil paint. Drawing inspiration from the techniques of the Old Masters while embracing modern sensibilities, my paintings and drawings are created through a layered, classical approach. With careful composition, luminous glazes, and the interplay of light and shadow, I seek to create works that feel both timeless and ethereal. Through these traditional fine art practices, I explore the intangible qualities of a story—the mood of a place, the presence of a person, the feeling of a memory, a fleeting moment, or a lasting impression, and invite viewers into these experiences.

About NKB Art + Illustration

Through NKB Art + Illustration, the literary commissions studio, I am able to offer professional book illustration and design services, I specialize in visually rich storytelling for authors and publishers, primarily working with indie authors who care deeply about both storytelling and presentation. My background in fine art and fashion illustration, have trained me to capture mood, movement, and personality in every line and color choice - skills I now bring to book covers, character art, and series and author branding - including logos and visual identities - crafted to feel intentional, expressive, and enduring.

My aesthetic tends to feel like a mix of sophisticated, whimsical, and modern, although I am not bound to a single look. I work fluently across styles and mediums, from fine art and traditional illustration to digital drawing, painting, and graphic design. Whether a project calls for romance and softness, bold contemporary graphics, or intricate illustrative detail, I shape the visual language to tell your story and resonate with readers.

I believe great book design does more than look beautiful - it communicates tone, genre, and emotion at a glance. I collaborate closely with authors to translate their worlds, characters, and themes into artwork that feels both authentic and market-aware, with an eye towards longevity and professional polish. My goal is always the same: to create artwork that captures the heart of a book while helping it stand out beautifully in the market, work which you will be proud to share and will grow with your career.

When I’m not drawing or painting, you will find me reading, cooking, and spending time with my family. My love for travel, my mixed cultural heritage, experience in education, and my appreciation of fine arts has helped mold my creative perspective and love for what I do. If you have any great projects (book covers or otherwise) feel free to get in touch!