Shows and Exhibitions

Butter Gallery

OUT OF THE WOODS
Chrissy Nickerson

September 19, 2020

Collingwood, Ontario,

www.buttergallery.ca

Vancouver Island Spring 2020!

48 x 30″
oil on canvas
$3276
@Gallery Merrick, Nanaimo, BC

After a 2 week residency at The OU Gallery

My work is showing at Gallery Merrick

July 2020.

https://www.theougallery.com/
www.gallerymerrick.com

TRANSISTIONS Global Water Futures

70 x 48″ mixed media on paper

Civic Centre and ArtsPlace, Canmore, Alberta.

Pandemic 2019 – 2020

Artist Chrissy Nickerson with guest Wanda Ellerbeck present Bridging the Form at Mortor and Brick Art Gallery and Events in Lethbridge.  Opening Reception Saturday June 22, 2019.

Up For Development

Opening Reception at Elevation Gallery

100 – 729 Main St., Canmore, Alberta

Saturday, December 2, 2017/

Artist in attendance 2 – 5pm.

Artist Statement:

Canmore is an active town.  We are a valley in the middle of a huge junction of valleys that connect wild spaces, from Yellowstone to the Yukon.  We have so much undeveloped land within town limits.

This year, instead of seeking out grand, new, unpainted (by me) vistas, I decided to document our undeveloped/our “spaces in waiting” here in the Bow Valley.  Change is constant.  Canmore identifies with that.  Now, more than ever:  we see it on Bow Valley Trail with the new setbacks.  This change makes the 1A Hwy. more relatable the human scale, putting our perspective ahead of that of the vehicle.

I want to bring attention to the undeveloped lots, the urban reserve, the “we thought it was” Crown land, soon to be, or already rezoned. These spaces speak to our identity and our values as a mountain town.  Our urban forest is gorgeous and healthy, speaking volumes of the people holding and protecting this place.  Our trail systems are pure desire lines, cutting through undeveloped spaces.  They are the organic essence of our valley, and a reminder that the car should not be, and is not, our priority.

I love the idea of Desire Lines…our natural paths that connect roadways, provide shortcuts…cutlines through forests to traverse pipelines, sewers, fire breaks, and park boundaries.  I LOVE them!  These bridleways are not only used by wildlife.  We all depend on them in an organic way. We cut across the highway in minutes, squat between the trails and the 1A. We run the power lines, walk the undeveloped land in holding, run our off-leash dogs in the crown by the river.  Risk it.  Love it.  The freedom of wild spaces within town limits is special.

This body of work barely scratches the surface of documenting our undeveloped spaces.  “Imagine Being Here” the big billboard challenges on the corner across from the A&W.  Currently, people stand there to wait for the bus, hitchhike from the corner, bike past a large block of our urban forest.  It’s a beautiful spot.  People coming off the highway  are welcomed by our strong spruce.  Soon modern glass buildings housing commercial businesses will be there.  A necessity for growth?  Bring on the development, but let’s plan for the birds, the bees, and for the “us” that continue to respectfully occupy this space.

I am not saying not to develop this land.  I am saying, take notice of how our town is sold, planned and developed.  I think it is important to reduce urban sprawl and to plan for habitat. Glorify our urban forest.

I am a Canadian Landscape Painter.  I document our world through optimistic eyes.  I search for beauty while drawing attention to issues relevant to the way we live.

C.Nickerson BFA, Bachelor of Design, Major in Rural, Urban, and Environmental Planning.

Organic Matters

Artist Statement, Floral Interpretation 

Pure

Elevation Gallery
100 – 729 Main Street, Canmore, Alberta
Saturday, June 4th, 2016
Opening reception: 2:00pm – 7:00pm
Artist in attendance

Until We Come To Water...a solo show by Chrissy Nickerson

Elevation Contmporary Fine Art Gallery
100 – 729 Main Street, Canmore, Alberta
December 7, 2013.
Opening Reception 2 to 7pm, Saturday December 7th.  Artist in attendance.  Come out and join the party!!

Nickerson spent the summer painting on the East Coast, refreshing her onsite practise with old derelict buildings, tall marsh grass, hardwood trees and sail boats.  She returned to her home in the Rocky Mountains to plunge into a new body of work for a show to end the Fall season.  “Until We Come To Water” was chosen for the title of the show to give testimony to the artist’s upbringing by water, her summer by the water, and her longing to be near it now and always.

Chrissy Nickerson has a Bachelor of Fine Arts as well as a Bachelor of Design, major in Environmental Planning.  Her undergrad focused strongly on watersheds and their sensitivities.  As a landscape artist, compositionally speaking, water grounds a strong amount of Nickerson’s work.

Chrissy Nickerson had this winter as a target for a solo show.  “I’m glad I was able to follow through.  Trying to find the time to complete a higher quota of work per month was a struggle all in its own.”  Time management wasn’t always an issue for the artist, but now as a parent, it is a huge factor, affecting all facets of her life and inter-relationships.

Chrissy Nickerson’s painting style is made up of many layers of brushstrokes. The strong brush work builds a tapestry of rich colour and connectedness. The paintings look finished and fulfilled by the use of her thick paint and impasto techniques. The pieces she has chosen for her December show are so much larger, this aspect of her work is mainly seen in the foregrounds.

Nickerson has sought out new painting spots. For the past 8 years she painted Policeman’s Creek over and over again, not to mention the local mountains. Although there is again a view from Vermillion Lakes, she has tried to represent Razorback with a new composition, including more context. Painting these different locations has helped her keep that fresh feeling from her summer away.

Having painted these 13 pieces together in the studio simultaneously, she wonders about the strength of the body of work as a whole. “My studio is small. I have to keep moving things out to the back room to bring a new canvas in.” She has not seen all the pieces together and wonders if they will have harmony amongst themselves. “Perhaps the cobalt blue will save them. And you never know how Cheryl will hang a show–that is always refreshing in itself.”

I Am We

November 2, 2013, 2:45 – 5:00 pm
Elevation Gallery
100 – 729 Main Street
Canmore, Alberta

Artist as parent, parent as artist.  Getting children of artists involved in mixed media.  Exploration.  Fun.  Messy too.

Blue Hill Farmers' Market

Guest Artist on July 20, 2013. It was a fun morning, meeting the local farmers and touring guests. Everyone was so friendly and helpful and I had so many opportunities to discuss art and landscapes of Maine.

Wet Paint

Elevation Contemporary Fine Art Gallery
109 Main Street, Canmore, Alberta
May 14, 2011

A combined show by Chrissy Nickerson and Lucie Bause, each exhibiting 22 paintings. Chrissy showed the body of work produced during her residency at the Ted Harrison Artist’s Retreat, together with her latest pieces during this past year. To read Hamish MacLean’s article in the Canmore Leader documenting this show, click here.

During opening festivities, the artists created a diptych, acrylic on canvas, of a Yukon scene, The two panels were raffled through the duration of the show, proceeds going to the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.

The Beautiful Side of Recession

98 Pintings by Chrissy Nickerson

Elevation Contemporary Fine Art Gallery
109 Main Street, Canmore, Alberta
October 3rd – 10th, 2009, 10am – 5pm

It has been almost four years since my last solo show in the Bow Valley. Because of the current economy and my own state of affairs it seemed fitting to have a show of this nature. The collection of work is mainly on board which is affordable and smaller. This enables me to produce more and to sell at more affordable prices.

Together this collection covers an array of subject matter and style. However, landscape is my most successful subject matter. The process of landscape painting is the favorite of all my work. On-site in the fresh air with my colours is a great day spent. I do not use photography; I interpret the image in my own way onsite.

Canmore, Alberta is my home. Most of the paintings are depicting local scenes. The beautiful side of a recession is to be able to share within a community. My local work is representational of my connection to this place. The paintings range from the size of a postcard to large. By hanging 98 small paintings I hope to sharing my work with as many of you as possible.

Pushed Horizons

A Collection of Paintings by Chrissy Nickerson

Dennis Tourbin Members’ Gallery, Niagara Artists’ Centre
354 St.Paul Street, St.Catharines, Ontario
April 12th – May 2nd, 2006
Wednesday – Friday 10am – 5pm
Artists in attendance on Saturday April 12th, 2pm – 8pm

My name is Christine Heather Nickerson but everyone calls me Chrissy. Growing up in St. Catharines, rowing the Henley, hiking and biking the local trails, canoing, backpacking and camping Algonquin Park all contributed to my keen awareness of nature, leading me to where I am today. My two university degrees were awarded by NSCAD; a Bachelor of Fine Arts (2002), and a Bachelor of Design, majoring in Environmental Planning (2001).

It has been six years since my last show in St. Catharines. I am thankful for this opportunity provided by NAC to share my work with the community in Ontario. I have named the show Pushed Horizons, referencing the abstract elements and patterns in the paintings and the diverse landscapes depicted.

This show comprises a selection from several different bodies of work: landscapes originating in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Alberta and paintings interpreting text and pattern with a figurative or landscape element. This collection illustrates recent years of dynamic change, both in where I have lived and where my art form is taking me now. I hope you enjoy this offering as much as I do.

artsPeak Festival

Canmore, Alberta

www.artspeakcanmore.com

Corridor Collective: Me, Myself and You
June 8th and 9th, 2007
210 Bow Medows Crescent, Canmore

Corridor Collective: artsPeak Afterparty
June 9th 2007, Cash Bar and DJs

Corridor Collective

September 23, 2006

204-709 Main St.
2nd Floor, above Avens
Canmore, Alberta

www.elevationgallery.ca

The Spring Series - Banff 2006

Wednesday May 10th and Thursday May 11th
The Other Gallery, Glyde Hall
Banff Center
Opening Night Reception – May 10th, 5-7 PM
Meet the Artist – Chrissy Nickerson

The Banff Centre
107 Tunnel Mountain Drive
Banff, Alberta

“Eastern Shore Oil Paintings”
Mermaid Cafe: February 24th – March 5th
6502 Highway 207
Grand Desert, NS
902-499-2334
www.mermaidcafe.ca

Thanks to everyone that dropped by!
Special thanks to Krista at The Mermaid Cafe!

Eastern Shore Series

Maples Decor Gallery
1361 Bedford Highway
Beford, Nova Scotia

Landscapes from the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia
December 4 – 18, 2005

Skateboard Art Auction

Skateboard Art Auction
by Johnston Farrow

In need of a new skate park and with less than $100,000 left to raise (out of a total of $500,000), members of the Halifax Skateboard Coalition andProSkateboards skateshop formulated a plan. A friend suggested they follow the example of a 2004 Atlanta art exhibit he attended that raised money for the local skate park. The group agreed and enlisted 35 local artists to design skateboards as works of art.

“We’re trying to raise awareness, get a few more donors and get this skate park built,” Pro Skateboards co-owner John Swinamer says. “We’re so close and we’re almost there and this is a good way to do it.”

The roster for the project features a diverse array of artists, including graffiti muralist Scott Tobin, abstract painter Mitchell Wiebe and graphic artist Paul Hammond. The only criteria for the exhibit is that all pieces must be created with a skateboard deck. Beyond that, the possibilities are endless. For instance, one completed deck, now sitting in the window of Pro Skates, has been converted into a go-kart covered in fur.

“For most of the people involved, they haven’t painted on them,” says Swinaner. “A lot of them are skaters who doodle on their own decks.”

The exhibit at Argyle Fine Art includes silent and live auctions, giving the public a chance to purchase the boards. The proceeds will go directly into the fund for the start-of-the-art skate park to be built on the Halifax Common later this year.

“When you buy a new deck, there’s art on it,” Swinamer says. “[This fundraiser] is an obvious idea, but we have such a diverse crew of people, it should be really good. And hopefully we’ll raise a lot of money.”

Skateboard Art Auction

Hit the Deck
by Sue Carter Flinn

Forty local artists leave their marks on skateboard decks to help fundraising efforts for a new skatepark.

The biggest audience for skateboard art is usually the pavement beneath its whirl of contorted colours, shapes and forms. In fact, deck art has a pretty short lifespan, considering it bears the scars of every attempted stunt—a visible testament to each flip or spin.

On Friday that will change, as over 40 one-of-a-kind skateboard decks designed by local artists will get the star treatment at Argyle Fine Art as they’re auctioned off to raise money for the Halifax Skatepark Coalition. From sculptors to graphic designers to landscape painters, the auction is an opportunity to support the building of a new skatepark and a chance to check out a random cross-section of the city’s artistic community.

Salvation, by Colin Green

Pro Skateboards and Snowboards co-owner and auction organizer Jon Swinamer gave each artist a naked, wooden skateboard deck and no creative boundaries. He runs through the list of participants, pointing out the names of at least 12 artists involved who also skate; but many, like painter Mitchell Wiebe, prefer life on terra firma.

“I wouldn’t really call myself a skater,” Wiebe says over the phone from Toronto where his band City Field is playing. “I tried it, and I think I stubbed my toe.”

Perhaps that’s why, on Wiebe’s board, one of his signature mythological furry creatures lolls on a lush, almost acidic “sap green” space he describes as “falling on the grass.” He discusses his interest in inverting space—literally mirroring what’s happening on the board—capturing movement and twisting forms, a physical concept familiar to skaters.

Artist Chrissy Nickerson, who had a show of music- and performance-related paintings at Tribeca last June, took the opportunity to experiment with new materials. “I’m using mixed materials, weaving items in, and pouring a layer of polyurethane over it. Now I’m markering over it.” She decided to get involved in the event because of its local ties and its relevance to “what’s going on in Halifax.”

Nickerson passes the phone over to Peter McCarron, an artist who is no stranger to painting or riding skateboards. A skater since age 10, McCarron had a show of his deck art at the Khyber Centre for the Arts in 2001. On each deck—nine in total—he painted a portrait of a local skater’s home. For this auction he is immortalizing the skatepark in its current raw state, using a variety of techniques including paint markers and etching. He admits to having skated pieces of art before, and after he purchases another one on Friday, “I’ll take it for a ride before I retire it and hang it up.”

Like Wiebe who appreciates skaters’ inventiveness and “refined appreciation to spaces,” McCarron draws a connection between artists and skaters which ends up sounding more like good life advice: “There’s a continuous flow of objects. You need to watch how fast objects are approaching—how big are they? How fast? You need to make quick decisions and ride it out until the next big decision,” he laughs. “And don’t sleep too much.”

Skater Greg Baller was wide awake when he was involved in the late night creation of a the two-way ramp in 2003, donning an orange safety vest to help mix the 7,000 pounds of concrete. He describes the excitement the skate community felt when the city offered to assist: “There was this feeling,” he says, “Fuck, this is so cool. We can do this.”

A member of the skate community since the late ’80s and bassist for punk-metal-skate band Blackout 77, Baller painted a truck and man wearing a hardhat and safety vest on a background of deep red flames. In ransom-note style, magazine letters spell out “FIGHT FIRE WITH CONCRETE,” words meaningful to those involved in the park’s guerrilla-style origins, and the city’s participation in the construction of the skatebowl. Baller reminisces: “The strongest image was the concrete truck pulling into the Common. It was pivotal. That will be the best day when it shows up again.”

Wiebe may also find a new source of inspiration for his paintings. “I’ve seen some amazing interventions with skaters waxing curves and rails,” he says. “They’re really inventive with what they’re doing, and it will be neat to see all those shapes and forms in the park.”

Dwell on Art

Tribeca Bistro
1588 Granville Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
June 2005

Paintings that dwell on the themes of music and performance

Bang!

MOeD Gallery
Halifax, Nova Scotia
May 5 – 25, 2005

0n Thursday, May 5, at 7:00 p.m., MOeD Gallery is launching its inaugural exhibition, Bang! Halifax’s most ambitious visual arts venue to date, the MOeD Gallery, located on the corner of Agricola and Charles Street, has revitalized a large, post-industrial building into one of the most stunning commercial art spaces on the East Coast. Bang! will feature the work of fifteen Halifax-based artists; over eighty works of art in various media will be a part of this eclectic and impressive exhibition. In development for over a year, MOeD Gallery (moed is Dutch for courage) aspires to unite progressive artists with art collectors and appreciators. More than simply an art exhibition space, MOeD houses many of the gallery’s artists in sunny and finely finished studio spaces.

For those interested in the artistic process, MOeD provides a unique opportunity for guests to visit with artists in their studios and learn about works-in-progress, as well as providing a 1500 square foot high wall gallery space where the artists finished work is available to the public. Bang! is MOeD’s premiere exhibition, showcasing a stunning collection of work by a set of emerging and established Halifax-based artists. MOeD Gallery represents some of the city’s most talented artists, many of whose work has previously been unavailable through conventional commercial art channels. This show is designed to open with a Bang!