Description
SkyWoman Exhibition
A collection ‘born’ from the collision of feminine power, literature and landscape.
‘Skywoman’ is a new body of work from Abstract Figurative Artist, Nicole McPherson. It is the ‘merge’ of her belief that women are mighty, that landscape is empowering and that colour drives mood.
The name ‘Skywoman’ comes from the indigenous people of North America and is used by them to describe Mother Nature/Our Creator. She is kind, giving and strong – and works in cooperation with her environment. Nicole learnt of this story after a fascinating conversation with author Hannah Kent (ref : Burial Rites). She asked Hannah what book had most influenced her writing and, as a self professed ‘landscape writer’, she said ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’.
It was not long before Nicole’s visit to Santa Fe for an Artist Residency in March 2026 that she read this book and was deeply affected by it’s story. It explains that, as a western world, we are greatly at odds with our environment and, for the sake of future generations, we need to learn from the past and re-establish a relationship of reprococity and care.
Whilst there, Nicole visited ‘Ghost Ranch’, the place of living and practice for ‘the godmother of North American Modern Art’, Georgia O’Keefe. Georgia was a trail-blazer for women, living independently in the desert, creating and being highly attuned to her surrounds. She used her art to capture her environment and share her love of landscape.
It was ‘at the ranch’ that Nicole’s ‘worlds collided’ – her book learnings, her witness of Georgia O’Keefe’s creativity, strength and ‘connection to land’, and her continued art theme of ‘Mighty Woman’.
She felt in ‘awe’ of the landscape and a deep, ‘familiar’ connection unlike any she had ever felt with ‘place’ before.
Something shifted.
Once ‘home’, Nicole began expressing these themes in a mesh of ‘Skywoman’ – a Queen, a Trail Blazer, and nature, and the colour of Santa Fe.
And so ‘Skywoman’ Collection was created. Large and small works that provoke calm, consideration and joy.
