Art has always been a passion of mine and is integrally connected to my process of self-reflection, healing, and exploration. Throughout my life I have used painting, drawing, jewelry making, and clay as mediums for creation. I started taking ceramics classes in 2015 while pursuing a Social Science master’s degree in 2015 and I haven’t stopped learning about clay since! I began creating low-fire ceramic sculptures, mimicking fabric with my super thin clay slabs and gently assembling them to create animals and objects. When I moved to Eugene, Oregon in 2020, I integrated my low-fire hand-building techniques with porcelain and high-fire materials. I recently began throwing on a pottery wheel to make functional work. I’m always pushing myself to create new work and discover the possibilities of clay. As I say with Earth to Rose, I’m on a ceramic creations journey!
In 2021 I also started selling sparkly jewelry under the name Nicola Narwhal. My initial motivation was to create jewelry that was separate from my ceramics and that would make people feel bright and shiny – like a unicorn of the sea! Selling my work in Eugene and through Etsy motivated me to develop logos and illustrations to complement my work. I soon realized that I love playing in Photoshop and illustrating. Nicola Narwhal became a different type of brand than I was originally imagining. Instead of it being all about jewelry, it became all about narwhals…and then unicorns and kitty-corn-pegasus. Really, it just became all about fun! I ultimately wanted it to be a space for playful digital art to inspire imagination and self-expression. I have been transitioning Nicola Narwhal in this new direction since the beginning of 2023.
I love working with clay and continue to make jewelry, plates, and other types of art. My porcelain jewelry is currently found on my Earth to Rose Etsy page, while I’m scheming new plans for it (ENROSEABOVE coming 2024). I love to create and I tend to be overflowing with ideas, so new projects are always in the works. With all of my work, I do my best to maintain an earth-conscious focus. As you’ll see from my pages, I donate 10% of all of my sales from Nicola Narwhal to Indigenous-led narwhal conservation. Because I am from the Southwest, if I ever use Indigenous patterns or the zia sun symbol in my work, I donate 10% of sales to the Zia Pueblo. You can find out more about the stolen sun symbol here: https://www.ziapueblo.org/
I hope you enjoy my work and I appreciate you checking out my page.