Community
29 October, 2025
Keelie’s passion for colour
A YOUNG woman who swapped her paintbrush for a spray gun has been recognised for her skill and dedication to the trade.
Twenty-two-year-old Keelie Nicholls has been named the MTA Institute apprentice of the month for September 2025.
Now in the fourth year of her automotive refinishing (spray painting) apprenticeship at Bears Body Works in Smithfield, she has impressed her trainers and colleagues with her commitment, adaptability and eye for detail.
Although Bears Body Works is a family-run business owned by her father, Graham Nicholls, she said joining the automotive industry wasn’t part of her original plan.
“It wasn’t at all on the cards originally,” Ms Nicholls said.
“I’m actually an artist outside of work and was pursuing that, but we were struggling to get quality staff, so I offered to help out – and I ended up really enjoying it, which was actually quite shocking,” she said.
At 19, fresh from completing a Diploma in Visual Arts and working as an art teacher, Ms Nicholls decided to try her hand at spray painting. It turned out to be a natural fit, with her artistic background helping her quickly master colour matching.
“The technical and physical side of spray painting is very different to my visual art practice,” she said.
“But I found it easy to step into colour matching and that’s a skill I was really happy to get so quickly,” she said.
While most of Bears Body Works’ jobs are insurance repairs, the workshop also handles restorations, signs, boats, kitchens and even the occasional helicopter.
For Ms Nicholls, the variety keeps the work interesting – even if she’d like to see more colour on the roads.
