The nature artist

He’s known for doing his work in an unconventional manner, but Troy Nickle always seems to get the desired result. The long time artist is one of the most talented in his field in southern Alberta. His canvas is, well, everywhere. Nickle crafts the majority of his art in nature.

“I’ll come out to the river valley and I’ll just start working. I’ll have an idea for something and I’ll just start working on it.” Said Nickle.

The end result of Nickle’s nature excursions is often a sight to behold. What starts out as a normal landscape quickly turns into a unique piece of artwork. But as impressive as these feats are, they’re often not thought out ahead of time.

“I might not know at all what I’m going to make. I’ll bring my camera and my tripod and I just start working.“ Said Nickle

“I’ll find a material that I can assemble into a form like a structure.”

Nickle’s been mixing his love for nature and art for years, and as he’s gained experience, people are starting to take notice. CASA Curator Darcy Logan has featured Nickle’s work as an exhibit before and appreciates his rare style.

“He does some of the most interesting work that I’ve seen coming from an artist locally.” Said Logan.

“For him it’s about the direct experience. Both for himself and for the people that actually get a chance to see what he’s doing.”

Nickle’s always been one to appreciate nature, but in an age of media and ever-evolving technology, it’s his goal to get others to stop at least for a minute.

“I think we don’t spend enough time in nature and so I like to make work that allows us to look at nature and allows us to draw an interest in exploring nature” said Nickle.

“Art is a nourishment, it soothes my soul, it’s healing. it’s kind of like therapy. for me, it’s a way of expressing myself.”

So if you’re walking through the coulees, you might just see signs of that expression.