a note from my studio (no. 004)

by | Jul 13, 2026 | All Posts, Studio Notes & News

White text reads "a note from my studio no.004". The background is a tree growing on the shore of Lake Ontario on a partly cloudy summer day.

happy summer to all who celebrate!! and my condolences to those who do not. I am with you both/all – I love the vibrant life that summer brings, and the shining light of the sun, and the cool breeze on a warm day. but then there is also ticks in the grass, and heat-related chronic illness flares, and wildfire smoke in the air. 

I hope you can find some time to enjoy summer in whatever way feels possible for you. even if it’s waking up early before the heat sets in to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in your backyard (or on your porch, balcony, or at your window!!) 

keep reading to find out how I’ve been honouring the season!

what i’ve been making

I finished knitting my sweater!! Just in time for… a heat wave? Yes, perfect. (But its beautiful and so soft and I’m very pleased with it and I can’t wait to wear it this fall/winter!!)

If anyone’s curious, I followed the Aspen Pullover by Idaho Stitched, and used Malabrigo Chunky yarn in the colour “Rhodesian Ridgeback”.

I also finished up two sketchbooks recently, including this little yellow one, which I’ve been working on for about a year! I’ll be sharing a selection of pages from these sketchbooks to my portfolio soon – stay tuned!

A digital painting of a globe. White handwritten text reads "earthshakers creativity club". The background is a photo of a night sky with northern lights.

I made some cyanotype prints (aka sun prints!!) 

I have a small collection of fallen leaves that I’ve dried and pressed, and they are absolutely lovely subject matter for cyanotype prints. 

Cyanotype is a photographic printing process. When exposed to UV rays, the pigment turns a gorgeous blue, leaving areas that weren’t exposed white. 

This collection ranges from 8x10s to bookmark-sized prints and they’re all available for purchase on my website now

shop cyanotypes
A digital painting of a globe. White handwritten text reads "earthshakers creativity club". The background is a photo of a night sky with northern lights.

in the garden

one evening around sunset, near the summer solstice, I went to hang out in the garden with my strawberries. these are a native variety (woodland strawberries, Fragaria vesca) that produce tiny little berries and spread by sending out “runners”.

I planted some of these runners in a few small pots, encouraging them to root in the open soil. Once they do, I’ll separate them from the parent plant, and have more strawberry plants to plant elsewhere! Gardening is magic!!

A digital painting of a globe. White handwritten text reads "earthshakers creativity club". The background is a photo of a night sky with northern lights.

what I’ve been inspired by recently

I loved this episode of the Wild Geese podcast by Anna Howard: “You’ve Built an Altar of Suffering. Where Is Your Altar of Enjoyment?” I appreciated what she shared about curiosity, and her concept of “poetry watching” is lovely.

Thank you for reading 🙂

Nikki

NS | sent via email and posted online July 13, 2026

a note from my studio (no. 003)

by | Jun 13, 2026 | All Posts, Studio Notes & News

White text reads "Fundraising Update: January, February, March 2026". The background is a close up of branches of a trillium and some moss growing on a rock.

Happy Pride month and Indigenous History month! The first Pride was a riot!!! Land Back!!!!

If you’re looking for a way to celebrate that doesn’t involve going to a capitalist, corporate-sponsored event: give some money to a trans person, support your friendly neighbourhood queer artist (I guess now is a good time to remind you that I have art for sale on my website lol), or support an IndigiQueer organization like O:se Kenhionhata:tie (join me as one of their Patreon supporters!).

A digital painting of a globe. White handwritten text reads "earthshakers creativity club". The background is a photo of a night sky with northern lights.

upcoming events

There’s still time to RSVP for our next creativity club meetup! We’re meeting online on Sunday, June 14 at 2:00 pm Eastern time.

Learn more about Earthshakers & RSVP for an upcoming meetup!

what i’ve been making

I want to get more comfortable creating art in public and outdoor spaces, so that’s what I practiced doing this month!

I took my wax pastels to the climbing gym and sketched one of their features called ‘the island’.

I also brought my portable gouache paint palette to the park for a quick session, and sketched a blossoming tree and some adorable goslings!

The bottom two sketches are what I created at our last in person Earthshakers meetup, using reference photos by adventure artist Mel-Mitchell Jackson.

A digital painting of a globe. White handwritten text reads "earthshakers creativity club". The background is a photo of a night sky with northern lights.

works in progress

I have been working on this painting for over a year! I did the first preliminary sketches of this idea in March 2025, and started the painting in June 2025. Truthfully, I have been avoiding working on it because I’m scared of fucking it up! The perfectionist in me that wants to make ‘good’ art (whatever that is!) is really having a hard time with this. I am practicing being kind to myself and trusting the process. And trying to frame this as a learning opportunity – whatever comes of this is what was meant to happen, and I will come out on the other side with lessons to apply to future paintings! I hope to share the finished painting with you soon 🙂

I also cut out my pattern pieces for the vest I’m making and have started the meditative, slow, hand-stitching process to piece everything together.

A digital painting of a globe. White handwritten text reads "earthshakers creativity club". The background is a photo of a night sky with northern lights.

lessons from the land

I went out for my first camping trip of the season with my partner and our dog this month! We visited Long Point Provincial Park – it is such a unique and amazing place!!!

Long Point is covered by Treaty 3 (also known as the Between the Lakes Purchase), which was signed in 1792 between the Principal Chiefs of the Messissague Nation and John Graves Simcoe, a representative of the Province and Crown. It is the traditional territory of the Attiwonderonk/Chonnoton (Neutral), Mississauga, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga (Haudenosaunee).

A digital painting of a globe. White handwritten text reads "earthshakers creativity club". The background is a photo of a night sky with northern lights.

Long Point is a 40km sandspit (a deposit of sand along a coast or lakeshore) along the north shore of Lake Erie.

It is a really important location for migrating birds in spring and autumn, and we got to see so many different species during our trip. Tons of Tree Swallows, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Warbling Vireos, Baltimore Orioles, and Red-winged Blackbirds were fluttering around between the trees near our campsite. There were Great Blue Herons fishing in the marshes, and a large group of shorebirds (some type of Sandpipers, I think) on the beach among the sand dunes! We also spotted some turtles soaking up the sun on a rock, and a snake in the grass!

what I’ve been inspired by recently

I’ve pretty much been listening to the same four albums on repeat lately. Here are the albums, accompanied by my favourite music video from each!

    • What Happened To The Heart by AURORA (Music video: Starvation)
    • Dancing On The Wall by MUNA (Music video: Eastside Girls)
    • Virgin by Lorde (Music video: Hammer)
    • Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally by Harry Styles (Music Video: Dance No More)

Thank you for reading 🙂

Nikki

NS | sent via email and posted online June 13, 2026

a note from my studio (no.002)

by | May 16, 2026 | All Posts, Studio Notes & News

White text reads "Fundraising Update: January, February, March 2026". The background is a close up of branches of a trillium and some moss growing on a rock.

Hi there!

Thanks for being here. This is the second-ever note from my studio, but it’s the first-ever instalment in my new monthly(ish) newsletter! I enjoy sharing my art with my community, and posting on billionaire-owned social media platforms that are full of AI slop has become increasingly uninteresting to me. SO I’m planning to send out little notes to you to share: fun events and projects I’ve got coming up, art that I’ve created recently, my experiences in nature, and art that’s inspiring me!

I imagine that the cadence of these notes will shift and change over time – I’m human after all! You will probably hear from me more in the warmer seasons and less in the winter. I’m excited to see how this evolves and grows with time.

A digital painting of a globe. White handwritten text reads "earthshakers creativity club". The background is a photo of a night sky with northern lights.

upcoming events

The spring/summer dates for the Earthshakers Creativity Club are live! Our next in person meetup is coming up on May 24 in Downtown Kitchener! Masks are required and provided <3

This space is open to everyone that wants to explore their creativity in community! Feel like doodling on some scrap paper with a random pen you found in your junk drawer? Great! Want to write in your journal? Love it! Have some clothes that need mending? Amazing! I also have some art supply kits at the in-person meetups that you can use!! I hope to see you there 🙂

Learn more about Earthshakers & RSVP for an upcoming meetup!

what i’ve been making

I have been exploring sewing this month! After getting through my large pile of things that needed mending in March, I felt really inspired to sew something new.

So… I made some cute little pieces for my sewing kit – a needle book, and a pouch and a drawstring bag for notions! I sewed these all by hand with scrap and thrifted fabric.

A digital painting of a globe. White handwritten text reads "earthshakers creativity club". The background is a photo of a night sky with northern lights.

works in progress

I put together this concept sketch for an application to a local public art opportunity.

Here’s a little sneak peak of my design 🙂 Hopefully I get to bring it to life!!

A digital painting of a globe. White handwritten text reads "earthshakers creativity club". The background is a photo of a night sky with northern lights.
A digital painting of a globe. White handwritten text reads "earthshakers creativity club". The background is a photo of a night sky with northern lights.

My next sewing project is a vest, in a gorgeous mustard yellow jacquard cotton fabric! Photographed here is the toile, or mock-up, that I made to check the fit before cutting into my fancy fabric.

Also, I’ve been knitting my first sweater and I am so happy with how it’s going so far! I’m about to attach the sleeves to the body of the sweater, and then I’ll work up towards the neckline!

let’s go outside

Spring is here!!!!

I’ve been getting outside as much as I can, even for a short walk around my neighbourhood with my dog on the days where I don’t really feel like it. Hearing all the different birds singing and seeing the landscape come to life in vivid colour brings me so much joy 🙂

There have even been a few brave blooms from the woodland strawberries in my little garden.

If you also like spending time outside and want a space to share your adventures and observations, I invite you to join the lil online club I created for that exact purpose: In Our Nature. It’s a relaxed space, allowing you to pop in whenever you feel like sharing or reading about what others are up to! (It’s also a great way to try out Discord if you’re new to that platform!)

A digital painting of a globe. White handwritten text reads "earthshakers creativity club". The background is a photo of a night sky with northern lights.

what I’ve been inspired by recently

My sewing practice has been energized by a few artists that so generously share their work through videos on YouTube:

  • Bernadette Banner focuses on historical sewing, and has made some incredibly intricate projects that are just so stunning
  • Ash Bentley has a lot fun with her creations, including unique wearable art pieces and so much more
  • Carly B makes whimsical, colourful garments with beautiful details and finishes

And here are a few excerpts from one of my favourite books I read recently, Circe by Madeline Miller:

“Let me say what sorcery is not: it is not divine power, which comes with a thought and a blink. It must be made and worked, planned and searched out, dug up and dried, chopped and ground, cooked, spoken over and sung.”

“Little by little, I began to listen better: to the sap moving in the plants, to the blood in my veins. I learned to understand my own intention, to prune and to add, to feel where the power gathered and speak the right words to draw it to its height.”

Thank you for reading 🙂

Nikki

NS | sent via email May 9, 2026; posted online May 16, 2026

Fundraising Update: January, February, & March 2026

by | Apr 6, 2026 | All Posts, Fundraising Updates

White text reads "Fundraising Update: January, February, March 2026". The background is a close up of branches of a pine tree.

Here is a quick update on fundraising for January, February, and March 2026!

Together, we were able to raise:

$39.00 for Mask Bloc Waterloo Region (MBWR)
$14 for Neighbours for Palestine Waterloo Region (N4P)
$14 for Palestinian Youth Movement Toronto (PYM)

Thanks so much for your support! The fundraising campaigns for N4P and PYM; as well as Mask Bloc Waterloo Region are ongoing!

 

NS | April 6, 2026

Screenshot of a payment receipt to Mask Bloc Waterloo Region via Paypal.
Screenshots of payment receipts to Neighbours for Palestine Waterloo Region via Action Network and to Palestinian Youth Movement Toronto via Paypal.