I'm Crystal. I am a shaper of earth, transforming raw mud into hybrid forms of sculpture and pottery. My work yearns to be touched – forging an irresistible physical connection between artist, viewer, user and source – our planet.
crystal nykoluk
I invite you to immerse yourself in a vision of the alive and tactile landscapes we encounter daily.
By commuting using a bicycle and my own two feet, I give myself the gift of time as I travel from one destination to another gathering inspiration. A deep thinker and curious soul seeker, I devour books and am always seeking space to gather my thoughts and intentions.
I grew up on the Manitoba prairie outside of Winnipeg. My mother is a painter and fabric artist; my father is a wood worker.
Homemade food always set the table – from olives to jam, wine to perogies, bread to salsa – there was always something cooking in the kitchen. My parents’ DIY work ethic encouraged me to value what my hands could accomplish. The summers I spent in the backcountry of the Ontario boreal wilderness at my family cabin fostered my appreciation for nature, patterns and how humans could affect untouched places in beautiful ways.
I attended the University of Manitoba to study Fine Arts, and it was there that I discovered clay and how the material satisfied my need to build things in the third dimension. Always a lover of lego and k’nex, I realized I thrived on the technical challenges the ceramic medium has to offer. After graduating with a Fine Arts Honours Degree, I became the Ceramic Technician at the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Studio Programs. It is my honour to inspire others to express themselves and be freely intuitive with clay at The Winnipeg Art Gallery and at The Edge Clay Centre.
