Artist Bio
Nichole Vikdal is a ceramic artist who has called the Southern California desert home for over 30 years. She specializes in crystalline-glazed porcelain, a distinctive and technically demanding art form in which crystals grow within the glaze during firing, creating intricate patterns, luminous colors, and unexpected beauty.
Working with porcelain, Nichole creates her forms on the potter’s wheel and develops her own crystalline glazes from raw materials. Through decades of experimentation, she has developed her own color recipes while continually exploring new possibilities. Each piece is a unique collaboration between artistic vision, chemistry, and chance, as the crystals grow unpredictably under intense heat. Nichole thoughtfully shapes each form to complement the natural movement of the crystals, bringing together sculptural form and crystalline surface in a delicate balance.
Inspired by nature’s ever-changing beauty, Nichole strives to capture a piece of nature in each treasure she creates. Her sculptural porcelain forms and fountains explore the interplay of shape, movement, color, and crystalline patterns, transforming the unpredictable beauty of the glaze into distinctive works of art.
Nichole’s work has received numerous awards, including First Place Best in Show at the 29 Palms Art Gallery in 2023 for one of her crystalline fountains, along with recognition from the Joshua Tree National Park Art Exposition and Associated Artists Inland Empire. She has been featured in articles about her work and artistic journey in Shoutout LA, Palm Springs Life, and Inland Empire Magazine. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and at art events throughout Southern California and is held in private collections across the United States and internationally.
Working with porcelain, Nichole creates her forms on the potter’s wheel and develops her own crystalline glazes from raw materials. Through decades of experimentation, she has developed her own color recipes while continually exploring new possibilities. Each piece is a unique collaboration between artistic vision, chemistry, and chance, as the crystals grow unpredictably under intense heat. Nichole thoughtfully shapes each form to complement the natural movement of the crystals, bringing together sculptural form and crystalline surface in a delicate balance.
Inspired by nature’s ever-changing beauty, Nichole strives to capture a piece of nature in each treasure she creates. Her sculptural porcelain forms and fountains explore the interplay of shape, movement, color, and crystalline patterns, transforming the unpredictable beauty of the glaze into distinctive works of art.
Nichole’s work has received numerous awards, including First Place Best in Show at the 29 Palms Art Gallery in 2023 for one of her crystalline fountains, along with recognition from the Joshua Tree National Park Art Exposition and Associated Artists Inland Empire. She has been featured in articles about her work and artistic journey in Shoutout LA, Palm Springs Life, and Inland Empire Magazine. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and at art events throughout Southern California and is held in private collections across the United States and internationally.