Born in Stoke-on-Trent, he studied at the Slade and at South Kensington. Nixon painted in oil and watercolour, mostly landscape and topographical scenes, and was also known for etchings, drypoints and line engravings which he started in 1913. He exhibited in all media, the most impact being in etchings and drypoints. Rome scholar 1923.

Visited Falmouth in 1929 and then moved to Cornwall in 1931 at the urging of Lamorna BIRCH, settling originally in Lamorna where he lived at the Riverside Studios, 1931-33. In 1931, headlines were made in the Daily Mail, the Western Morning News and The Cornishman, excited by the exhibition of Nixon's painting Gipsies at the Newlyn Art Gallery, 'the biggest splash of colour in the gallery that the gallery has ever known' (See Hardie 1995 for repr of cuttings, p83).

He was married to fellow artist, Nina BERRY. They moved to St Ives in 1934 and briefly ran a School of Painting in Back Road West while also working from St Peter's Studio. His teaching ability was much admired and he was well-liked in the colony.  In 1935 he returned to London to teach at the Slade, therefore their involvement with St Ives was relatively brief. He died at the early age of 47.