Nicki Ault
Nicki Ault is a contemporary Canadian artist whose early career included time as a Childcare Worker and Relief House Parent in a group home for teens, as well as eight years as Manager of a global, socially conscious, activist retail franchise. Uncertain whether she could have children, she chose to leave her career to be a stay-at-home mom when her firstborn arrived. She began to pursue painting as a profession when the youngest of her two sons started Grade One. Her creative freedom increased with each year, and she now works full-time in her private studio in Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Nicki has an intense love for the boreal forest, northern lakes, big skies, and wild grasslands of Saskatchewan. It’s in these places that she finds endless inspiration for her paintings. Nicki considers herself to be a lifelong student of art, always determined to learn and grow. Over the last decade, she has been diligently building her skills in drawing, colour theory, and oil painting. She continually challenges herself to convey the nuances of light in her landscapes and always seeks to infuse love and emotion into each brushstroke.
In 2019, a feature was written on Nicki’s work in Canada’s Galleries West magazine, and in 2020, she was named a SaskGalleries “Artist to Watch.” In early 2023, Nicki was offered a two-month residency at the Residence Inn by Marriott Calgary/Beltline District, where she lived and worked, creating a collection of 44 paintings. In February 2022, Nicki was contacted by the editor of International Artist Magazine and invited to create a six-page “Demonstration” of her painting process. Her article was published in the April/May 2024 issue of the long-running global publication and marked a huge milestone in her career.
She is currently represented by three well-established, professional Canadian galleries (Regina, Winnipeg, Calgary).
Artist Statement
Through much self-reflection, I’ve realized that I’ve spent years dismissing important personal traits; shrugging them off because they were intangible or abstract and, if discussed, were often diminished by others. During the pandemic, I learned about Highly Sensitive People and Empaths and how they possess an intimate and intuitive connection to the Earth and living things. Suddenly, so much of my life experience made sense. In fact, the part of me that ‘senses’ things is very real and reliable. I discovered how my personality drove me to choose careers that focused on helping people, animals, and the planet and eventually led to my decision to leave my career to stay home with my children and focus my energy on raising good humans.
My understanding of why I paint landscapes was profoundly affected by discovering that communion with nature is a trait of attuned people. Something very special happens within me when I experience Mother Earth. It’s a feeling of coming home—safety, peace, and acceptance. I feel understood. There is no judgment. I feel like I’m being charged up with love. When I’m at the lake, by a river, in the forest, watching a sunset, or standing on a country road feeling the power of a prairie storm, I experience a deep connection to life. I absorb the energy of the moment, memorize it, and then try to articulate it through paint, releasing the love from that moment onto the canvas.
Although there are many subjects I could paint, I have come to realize that this is why the landscape is the only subject I feel compelled to paint. It’s the conduit for me to experience joy, love, and belonging. Back at my studio, I then work hard to use my unique artistic voice to create visual love letters to the world.
www.nickiault.com
