The Canadian prairies possess a vast, ethereal quality that can feel both overwhelming and deeply intimate. For contemporary artist Nicki Ault, these landscapes are more than just scenery; they are a conduit for joy, belonging, and emotional expression. Based in Saskatoon, Ault has spent the last decade transitioning from a career in caregiving and social activism to becoming a full-time painter, recently reaching major milestones like a feature in International Artist Magazine. Her work, characterized by intuitive brushstrokes and a glowing sense of light, serves as a "visual love letter" to the natural world.

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 and 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 first born 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 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 Nicki 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 6 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 which focused on helping people, animals and the planet and eventually led 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 judgement. 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.”

https://www.nickiault.ca/

Interview with Nicki Ault

Your connection to the land and natural spaces is palpable in your work. Can you share a recent experience in nature that deeply moved or inspired a painting?

Sure! One of the most recent moments that inspired a painting involved a nighttime adventure! One evening last November, I received a text from a friend who has an avid interest in the northern lights. She let me know they were extremely active and sent me photos of the view from her acreage. I hurried outside to see if they were visible from my house in the city and, even though the street lights and trees were a hindrance, I looked up to see a hint of the aurora.

Impulsively, I messaged my sister and next thing I knew she was picking me up and we were driving out to a dark country road where we could see without any obstructions. It was unbelievable! The night was alive with northern lights dancing and skipping through the sky in colours of green, pink and purple. There were hundreds and hundreds of stars in every direction. That’s one of the best things about where I live on the Canadian prairies — the sky goes on forever. On this evening, it was mesmerizing and otherworldly; vast and ethereal. Although we felt like tiny specs in the big scheme of things, we didn’t feel insignificant or hopeless. We felt part of something big and beautiful.

It took a couple of months to process the experience of that night in November. When I was ready to paint, the music went on and momentum built as I found my way to the sweet spot in my process where colour choices and brush marks were intuitive, and memories released onto the canvas with ease. I was attuned; in a place of emotion and impulsive decision making. Layers of paint worked to build the power of that night and “Midnight Confetti” was born.

You mentioned the discovery of being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and an empath. How has this understanding transformed your creative process or the way you approach your studio time?

I think discovering that I’m an HSP didn’t so much transform my creative process as it gave me an understanding as to why I approach painting the way I do. Sketching, creating studies and detailed planning are traditionally encouraged to be part of a painter’s process, but I have never embraced them in my own practice. Logically and practically, I understand the reason for doing these prep work exercises on composition, value and colour before undertaking a large canvas, but working that way has felt cumbersome and unnatural to me.

My project planning has always taken place in my head. I love daydreaming about my ideas and visualizing how I will work up layers to create a landscape with depth. A lot of work is done in my head before I begin the physicality of painting. This mental planning allows me to feel spontaneous, intuitive and truly in the moment as my body gets moving for the first time in the process. By relinquishing the structure and control that comes with pre emptively planning on paper, I’m able to connect viscerally to the subject and memories I want to portray on canvas. There is an immediacy to this approach that works for me. I believe that’s how I tap into the emotion and story of the landscape.

Your landscapes are visual love letters to the Earth. What are some elements — colors, textures, light — you find yourself consistently drawn to when trying to capture that feeling of “coming home”?

I am consistently drawn to capturing the light in late afternoon and early evening. I tell the story of this time of day through soft, blended transitions juxtaposed with marks of more chroma and energy. Within this, I’m aware that I am consistently drawn to the colour pink and gravitate to preparing canvases with either an opaque Light Magenta or a wash of chromatic Quinacridone Magenta. From there, as I build layers of paint, the pink colour from beneath exudes a glowing warmth.

I find it’s a colour that works well with landscape palettes. It adds a pop of contrast and energy, especially next to shades of green, but at the same time, it’s a comforting, calming colour that, to me, roots us subconsciously to love. In writing this response, I’ve had a revelation that pink is actually a colour that connects me to my youth and childhood home. When I was seven, we moved to a brand new house and I was allowed to pick the colour for my bedroom. I chose a pink carpet and pink gingham wallpaper.

How have recent milestones — including your Marriott residency and the feature in International Artist Magazine — influenced your confidence or direction as an artist?

The milestones were pivotal in calming the anxieties I’ve experienced in relation to how I feel about my legitimacy as an artist. I am largely self taught and constantly feel like I have so much to learn that I will never measure up to “real” artists. It is not an easy profession — the role of an artist requires vulnerability and openness. It’s solitary work and can be isolating. It inevitably involves suffering the judgement of others which can be very difficult. For me it’s the latter that has caused creative blocks and, if I’m honest, has been hurtful, made me feel less than and created an urge to disconnect from community.

When my application won the two month residency at the Marriott hotel in Calgary, I felt validated as an artist that was worth investing in. It was amazing to realize that people wanted to support my art practice and growth by giving me time and space to be fully immersed in creating. When the editor of International Artist Magazine reached out and asked me to create a 6 page “demonstration”, I was overwhelmed that she felt my art was worthy of their pages. It was a big boost to be approached in this manner by someone from a globally recognized publication. It helped me believe that what I am doing is worth pursuing and maybe even more so, worth sharing with others.

As someone who began painting professionally later in life, what advice would you offer to artists who feel it's “too late” to pursue their creative path?

I would say to these artists, and anyone else who might listen, that where creativity is concerned there is never a time that is too late to start exploring. We are creative beings. It comes naturally when we are young, but we lose touch with this side of ourselves as we get older, however, it’s still there. So if you’re breathing, it’s the perfect time to begin a creative pursuit — it will be the best gift you give yourself. And as a side note — remember you are in charge of your creative path, so it can be whatever you want it to be. Try not to compare yourself to how others approach theirs.

How do you think your background in socially conscious spaces and caregiving informs the emotional tone of your art today?

I think that my background, sensitive nature and strong maternal instincts inform my landscapes with calm, comforting energy as well as an element of playfulness and joy. I’ve always found it difficult to be anyone other than who I am. I’m not a chameleon type who can mold themselves to fit any situation. I live authentically and I paint with authenticity.

My ability to feel deeply comes out as I create. On any given day my painting sessions can include crying, giggling, singing or dancing. Sometimes all of it! It can be a rollercoaster in my studio, but through emoting while I paint, I believe there comes an unmistakable message of humanity in my art.

What’s coming up next in your studio or career that you’re looking forward to sharing?

Thanks for asking. I’m very excited that in a few months’ time a book will be released by a well known publishing house with one of my nocturnal paintings on its cover. As well, I am working towards a solo show slated for late fall at one of my galleries, so a lot of new landscapes are definitely on the horizon!