niki sutherland

B. 1984

bio

Born in B.C and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Sutherland graduated high school in 2002 and spent most of the next 15 years raising her daughter and working a variety of odd jobs and part-time gigs, mostly in the service-related industry. For several years in the early 2010’s, she and her daughter lived in the mountains of Kananaskis where she worked at a ski hill, and it was during this time in the remote nature of the rockies that she learned to paint. Her early work reflects the natural surroundings at the time; snow-covered mountains and extraordinary Alberta skies, painted in oil on canvas.

After returning to the city, Sutherland was introduced to her husband and in 2018 the new family of three left Alberta for Ontario where she enrolled as a full-time student at OCAD University in Toronto. Over the next seven years, through the COVID19 pandemic and yet another relocation to rural Bruce County, Ontario, she completed her undergrad program in the spring of 2025.

Sutherland holds an Hons. BFA with Distinction from OCADU in Drawing and Painting with a minor in Sculpture and Installation. She currently lives in Port Elgin, Ontario, working from her home studio and woodshop.

practice

A former professor once described me as having a ‘nomadic curiosity’, and the phrase has never left my mind. The concept has provided a sort of framework for understanding how my process unfolds; I tend to gravitate towards materials that align with a particular interest or area of research rather than specializing in one area which stimulates an ever-expanding practice. Found objects frequently serve as a point of inspiration, prompting the process of material exploration and collaboration with other mediums like wood, textile, paint, or clay. I think through materials, which is often a slow process…maddening at times, and utterly essential.
A continuous thread that does weave through my work is my fascination with uncovering the ecological connections between human and non-human nature, and I find myself using analogy and metaphor to understand these parallels.

Beyond the studio, community is another pillar of my practice that engages my curiosity and enthusiasm for connection. Developing or seeking opportunities for artists to engage with one another is an ongoing initiative that keeps me connected to that part of myself and my local area.