A painting created using gouache and water-soluble wax oil pastel on paper. A rocky islet stands tall in the center of the painting, emerging from coastal ocean waters. A formation of smaller rocks creates a path from the shore to the islet. The morning sunlight creates a stark contrast, painting areas of the landscape with bright light and sending others into shadowy darkness. The sky is mostly blue with some wispy clouds present throughout.

First Impression, St’éx̱w’t’eḵw’s

2025-2026, gouache and water-soluble wax oil pastel on paper

This original artwork is on display and available for purchase at Articulations Art Supply in Toronto, as part of their Exploring Horizons: Canadian Landscape Exhibition. Check it out at 2802 Dundas St West, Toronto ON, M6P1Y5 from October 15 to November 8, 2026.

Less than two hours after I got off the plane on my first trip to the west coast of Turtle Island¹/North America, I found myself here, standing in front of an islet at St’éx̱w’t’eḵw’s — my first impression of this magical part of the world.

This is ancestral and unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Nation), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). This place is colonially known as Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver, British Columbia.

I am so grateful to have spent a few weeks as a guest on this Land during that trip, especially the time I shared with the water on the coast, with the mountains watching over us in the distance.

I have been making an effort to learn about the traditional Indigenous names for places I live and visit. One of my favourite things about this practice is getting to learn more about the ways the speakers of a given language engage with the world.

For example, when looking into place names for this piece, I learned that many of the places home to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw are named from the perspective of being on the water, as a result of canoeing being the main mode of transportation prior to contact with Europeans.

In including this place name in the title of my artwork, I am adding my voice to the chorus calling for the official restoration of Indigenous place names throughout so-called Canada, led by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

There are many different Indigenous languages across this part of the world, some have been partially or fully lost to the ongoing effects of colonization, but there are many languages that are still very much alive. Many nations are leading language revitalization initiatives, which can include language classes, online resources like dictionaries, and more. I encourage you to learn about the Land you live, work, and play on, the Indigenous nations that have carefully stewarded the Land since time immemorial, and their traditional languages.

 

About the Place Name

“St’éx̱w’t’eḵw’s” (also spelled St’éḵw’t’eḵw’s; pronunciation available here) is a term from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim (Squamish language) meaning “sheared off”. According to the Squamish Atlas, the stories of this place describe “two sínulhḵay̓ (double-headed serpents) going in opposite directions – one was going up Howe Sound and the other was coming down. They collided at St’éx̱w’t’eḵw’s and one of the sínulhḵay̓’s heads came off. Other versions of this story say that the two sínulhḵay̓ had a battle and one bit the other one’s head off, cutting him in two. That is why there are also other names for the place which mean ‘cut up’.”

A page in a sketchbook with initial sketches for Nikki's "First Impression, St’éx̱w’t’eḵw’s" done in red and green coloured pencils. The page is dated March 24, 2025.
Nikki's "First Impression, St’éx̱w’t’eḵw’s" painting, framed in a wide mid-toned wooden frame, sits on a wooden easel in their studio.
A page in a sketchbook with a print out of the reference photo for Nikki's "First Impression, St’éx̱w’t’eḵw’s" painting taped in. Behind the photo, there are different shapes and sizes of brushstrokes in various gouache paint colours, The page is dated June 16, 2025 and Sept 7, 2026.
References

 

Notes

1: Some First Nations refer to North America as Turtle Island, but this is not a term that’s used across the continent by all Indigenous Peoples.

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