NIKKI ST CLAIR
visual artist


featured work:
THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR

Image description: A watercolour painting of a circle, divided into 8 sections. The first section has a yellow background with a red strawberry in the center. Above the strawberry, there is black text that reads “summer solstice, litha, june 20-22”. The next section, moving clockwise, has a yellow-orange background and has a cicada in the center; its text reads “lughnasadh, august 1”. The third section has a reddish-brown background with a white mushroom in the center; its text reads “autumnal equinox, mabon, september 21-23”. The fourth section has a brown background with a red oak leaf in the center; the text above reads “samhain, november 1”. The fifth section has a dark blue background with the head of a sleeping black bear in the center; the text reads “winter solstice; yule; december 20-22”. The sixth section has a light blue background with the Orion constellation in the center; its text reads “imbolc, february 1”. The seventh section has a light green background with the head of a snowshoe hare in the center; the text here reads “vernal equinox, ostara, march 19-21”. The eighth and final section has a dark green background with a fiddlehead in the center; the text reads “beltane, may 1”. These sections are outlined by a ring of smaller circles, depicting 13 moon cycles, including a new moon, first quarter moon, full moon, and last quarter moon for each one. There is a circle of metallic gold where the sections meet in the center of the larger circle, as well as a thin line of gold outlining the entire piece.

2024, watercolour and ink on cold press paper, 11 x 11in

The Wheel of the Year is a modern approach to 8 pagan holidays/festivals with roots in Celtic, Germanic, and Norse mythology and folklore. These celebrations mark the changing of the seasons through the solstices and equinoxes, and the mid-way points between each. Many of these days (namely the solstices and equinoxes) are also important to Indigenous people across Turtle Island and each community has their own unique traditions.

I’ve chosen to represent these holidays with a symbol of something that’s taking place in nature at each point throughout the cycle. The symbols I’ve chosen are present where I live, in so-called Ontario, around these times of the year.

The best part about the Wheel of the Year is you can start celebrating these seasonal shifts, for free, just by going outside! Go alone or get some friends together! Go for a walk or find a nice sit-spot! Tune into your senses and let me know what you find :)

If you would like to learn more about these seasonal shifts and the year as an ever-repeating cycle, you could start with these websites:
- Dance of the 13 Moons: An Introduction to the Lunar Calendar of the Anishinaabe Peoples: https://www.zhaawanart.com/post/dance-of-the-13-moons
- Oneida Ceremonies: https://oneida-nsn.gov/our-ways/our-story/ceremonies/
- Onondaga Nation Ceremonies: https://www.onondaganation.org/culture/ceremonies/
- The Wheel of the Year: https://www.mabonhouse.co/wheeloftheyear
- Spiraling Into the Center: The Wheel of the Year & Lunar Sabbats: https://www.wortsandcunning.com/blog/the-wheel-of-the-year-and-lunar-sabbats

Winter Solstice / Yule (December 20-22): Sleeping black bear. By this time the bears are cozy in their dens, hibernating their way through winter.

Imbolc (February 1): Orion constellation. While much of nature is frozen and waiting for spring, this constellation shines bright in the southwest sky at this time of year.

Vernal Equinox / Ostara (March 19-21): Snowshoe hare. This time of year is mating season for these little friends, along with many other mammals that have short gestation periods.

Beltane (May 1): Fiddlehead. Almost all ferns have fiddleheads, and those of the ostrich fern are edible (please do some research before foraging and eating fiddleheads). These little spirally sprouts appear in late April/early May before unfurling into a full fern.

Summer Solstice / Litha (June 20-22): Woodland strawberry. These plants first flower in the spring and the berries are usually ripe by this time of year! The Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwe name for the full moon in June is Ode’imin Giizis (Strawberry Moon).

Lughnasadh (August 1): Okanagana rimosa cicada. The soundscape of the summer is filled with the calls of crickets, grasshoppers, and cicadas.

Autumnal Equinox / Mabon (September 21 - 23): Shaggy mane mushroom. These mushrooms are typically found in late summer or fall. They first appear as white cylinders before their bell-shaped cap opens and eventually produces a dark ink.

Samhain (November 1): Red oak leaf. There are many types of oak trees around the world, and each play a vital role in the lives of many birds, mammals, and insects (a larger number of species are supported by oaks than many other types of trees).



additional projects:

AURORA AUSTRALIS #1

Image description: A watercolour painting of a landscape scene in Tāhuna, Aotearoa (Queenstown, NZ). The sky is blue on the left side, and on the right side, it is filled with auroras in reddish-orange and green tones. There is a snow-capped mountain range with some dark green trees in front of the blue sky on the left, and a darker blue-green mountain range on the right side. The auroras are reflected in the ocean surrounding the mountains. In the foreground on the right side there is a small white house surrounded by trees.

2024, watercolour on cold press paper, 3 x 8in

This scene is inspired by a live aurora webcam in Tāhuna, Aotearoa (Queenstown, NZ) that I often tune in to, to catch a glimpse of Ngā Kurakura o Hinenuitepō (Aurora Australis).


STILL LIFE #1

Image description: A watercolour painting of a still life scene. A hexagonal wooden table with black legs sits in the center. On the left side of the table there is a turquoise vase with a handle and pouring spout. To the right of the vase, there are two white and green pillar candles, each positioned on a bronze candle stick. In front of the candles there is a small, orange angular rock. The background features contrasting light and shadow, created by the sun shining through a window onto the wall. There are many oval-shaped spheres of light with diagonal lines of shadow streaking through them. Shadows from the vase and candles are also visible.

2024, watercolour on cold press paper, 11 x 15in

Painted during my time in Soroush Dabiri’s Nature Inspired Art Watercolour Level 2 Course


AURORA BOREALIS #1

Image description: A watercolour painting of northern lights. The sky is a dark blue, and the northern lights are bright green, creating swirling shapes from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of the painting.

2021, watercolour on cold press paper, 3 x 5in


SOLIDARITY WITH POSTAL WORKERS

Image description: On a white background, a light green rectangle is painted in watercolour, and has been printed with shapes in black ink. The inked shapes represent markings usually seen on an envelope: there are wavy lines in the top left corner representing the return address; in the top right corner there is a postage stamp and two rows of short, slanted lines; in the bottom right corner there is a rectangle marking representing a post office date stamp. In the center of the green rectangle, “SOLIDARITY” is also printed in ink, in capital letters.

2024, watercolour and ink on cold press paper, 4 x 6in


NO SPACE FOR HATE

2024, watercolour and ink on cold press paper, 4 x 4in

Image description: A watercolour painting of the No Space for Hate logo. Centered in the image, there is a pink equilateral triangle, pointing up. Within the triangle, the words “no space for hate” are shown in black capitalized block letters.

My take on the #NoSpaceForHate logo, in support of 2SLGBTQ+ rights across so-called “Canada”.



ABOUT me

I have been making art for as long as I can remember. From scribbling with markers and crayons, to painting, to pottery, to knitting; from photography, to digital art, to jewelry making, to embroidery — I’ve always played with many different mediums.

I am queer and disabled, and my identity and life experiences greatly impact my art, including what I choose to create and how I do so. I am inspired by the ordinary; by the small moments that make up our day-to-day lives. I am also deeply inspired by nature (which we, as humans, are not separate from) and the magic that is conjured when we all take care of each other.

I gratefully live on the land that is known today as Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, situated along the Grand River. This beautiful river is known to the Kanien’kehake (Mohawk) as O:se Kenhionhata:tie, meaning Willow River - named for the willow trees that line the riverbanks. Kitchener is located within the Haldimand Treaty and the Simcoe Patent, and is the traditional territory of the Chonnonton/Attiwonderonk (Neutral), Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Today, this land is home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people. {To learn more about the land you live on, I recommend exploring Native-Land.ca & Whose.Land.}



WHERE YOU'LL FIND ME

SOCIALS

IG: @nikkiisuplate

EMAIL

nikkistclair13@gmail.com