In "Moving Still," Nicole Bitas turns the mundane into masterpieces.

Ever realized that between the lines of our daily grind, something gentle lingers? Nicole Bitas captures this often-overlooked poetry of life and puts it in brushstrokes and color.

In her first solo exhibition, titled “Moving Still,” Nicole makes art out of the familiar—where each piece depicts the hush between the chaos, and the space between doing and being. She explores the “in-between” moments and paints these fleeting fragments not as afterthoughts but as centerpieces of a life well-lived.

“The primary objective of my works is to see the little moments of our day-to-day in a new light. Since we live in a fast-paced world, sometimes we don't get the chance to take a moment to breathe or slow down, to the point that the soft and quiet moments seem to be a luxury,” Nicole told Metro.Style.

Nicole Bitas' first solo exhibition, "Moving Still," will run until April 27 at Galerie Stephanie. 

Through her distinct humorous palette and keen eye for detail, the emerging artist takes the viewers on what it means to pause and find meaning in the seemingly mundane.

“In my art, I want to highlight the beauty of the simple moments, to take every bit of it, to appreciate them because they're just as important as the grand things that we aim for. And I believe that those small moments we tend to overlook, they build up to what we call life,” she said.

Her collaboration with Galerie Stephanie in this debut exhibit marks a significant milestone in Nicole’s career. As an up-and-coming artist working with the gallery since 2023, she has found a supportive environment that nurtures her creativity and provides a platform for her work.

“I've been working for a while now as a gallerina and I would say that they really treat their artists in a special way. I'm so glad to be part of the artists who have been showing with Galerie Stephanie. I'm really grateful for the director for giving me a platform to showcase my art,” shared Nicole.

“It's been a dream and so far I would say that it's a success. Without Galerie Stephanie, I don't think this would be possible. I'm also grateful for the team. They helped me with my concept. They helped me make this possible. Everyone in the team is so supportive,” she added.

Photo from @galeriestephanie

The artist behind the canvas

Born in 1999, Nicole is a visual artist who draws inspiration from the mundane everyday life. A Magna Cum Laude graduate from the University of the Philippines Diliman, she earned her Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, majoring in Painting in 2022. Her academic journey culminated in an Outstanding Thesis award, paving the way for a bright future in the arts.

Aside from her formal training in college, Nicole is mostly a self-taught artist working in her room. She doesn’t treat creativity as something you schedule. For her, it’s more of a daily ritual that is equal parts reflective and spontaneous.

“Whenever I want to try something new, I just delve into it. I just practice it. Every day I sketch. When I see something really interesting, I take a picture. If I can't sketch it right away, and then when I get home, I just try to draw it and then make a composition out of it,” shared Nicole.

“Every day, I try to hone my skills and look for inspiration. Lalo na I'm always on social media, I see a lot of great artists. So I don't really have a mentor, but I have a lot of inspiration,” she added.

When asked about the artists who helped shape her own sense of creativity, she said she looks up to giant artists in the international scene—Milton Avery, Claude Monet, Hilma af Klint, and Edward Hopper.

Nicole’s creative process is as organic as her subject matter. She begins by brainstorming a concept and revisiting moments—often through photos she’s taken or simply scenes etched in her memory. From there, she sketches digitally on her iPad. “I try to compose a really good composition. And then when I'm done with my sketches, I transfer them to the canvas. I paint them very intuitively,” she described.

This willingness to scrap hours of work speaks to her deep sense of authenticity: “When I feel like changing the whole composition or color scheme midway, I just do it. Parang no second thoughts for me. I'd rather start all over again than regret the outcome.”

For Nicole, it’s not about perfection, but rather about resonance. The scene must not only look right—it has to feel right. “One thing about my creative process [is] I don't think much about the efforts that I've already put into the painting. I think it's also me as a person. If I don't like it, I don't like it. I'll change it immediately,” she pressed.

Her medium of choice is oil paint, favored for its flexibility. “I mostly work with oil because it's more forgiving than acrylic. Acrylic dries fast, whereas oil, it dries slow. So I get the chance to blend, to fix or erase,” she explained, adding that her preference is more practical.

Personal narratives and universal themes

Many of the paintings in “Moving Still” are drawn from her personal experiences, yet they resonate with universal themes. She offers glimpses into her life, her loves, and the still spaces where relationships quietly take root. The kind of art that stays with you long after you've left the room.

One such piece is a portrait that freezes those elusive, heartwarming family bonding moments in time. As she put it, “I have one here that's a family portrait. Now, my artwork is called ‘Star’ because we're five in the family, and I want to show that this is our bonding experience. We don't get to bond much, but when we do, we go out to shop, to eat.”

Elsewhere in this collection, her cherished quality time spent with her boyfriend is softly painted onto canvas. “Since I'm so busy with work, it's those little moments that I always look forward to. In the future, when I reminisce, those are the moments that I will remember the most,” she reflected.

Nicole's work also extends to her interactions with colleagues and friends, capturing the human connections that enrich her daily life: “It's all about the bonding I have with them, the connection, the human connection. It's not just about me. It's also about how they deal with their life.”

“I'm also inspired [by] how they go through every day despite the busy schedule, despite how hard life can be sometimes," she noted.

Nicole doesn’t just paint people—she paints presence. Because in her world, stillness is not about the absence of motion. “The stillness in my concept is the soft and quiet moments, like spending time with my family and my boyfriend every time we eat out. Those are my definition of the quiet moments, kasi those are the times na we get to sit down and talk about our day, and then together we decompress, together we chill lang,” Nicole beamed.

A quiet upheaval, Nicole Bitas finds awe in the everyday—in places where seconds stretch and stories bloom in silence. And through her art, she invites us to do the same.

Nicole Bitas' "Moving Still" exhibit is on view at Galerie Stephanie until April 27.