Nicole Watts is a Cree artist from rural Bella Coola, British Columbia. Watts’ remote upbringing and her Plains Cree heritage continues to inspire her work. Being born and raised in a rural community she developed a close connection to nature and wildlife. Watts has done wildlife rehabilitation with some of the injured or orphaned wildlife in her valley; the most memorable of her patients a Northern Saw-Whet owlet named Odette who was successfully released back into the wild.
Watts’ area of focus is drawing and painting, and she often merges these styles to create mixed media works or collages. This past year she has been experimenting with paper cutting and wool felting.
Watts has had her work displayed at the prestigious National Art Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and was in the top three in an art contest open to youth artists across Canada.
Watts has graduated with a Bachelors degree at Emily Carr University of Art & Design and is excited for the challenges and opportunities that come with being a visual artist. Watts believes that art can be a catalyst for change and can be a voice for issues that need to be heard. She hopes to keep creating art and expressing herself with art for many years to come.
