Randi Nelson is a Secwépemc artist and fashion designer, and a member of the Bonaparte/St’uxwtéws First Nation. Now based in Whitehorse, Yukon, she is celebrated for her distinct artistic style, a product of her upbringing in a family that stressed the importance of harnessing creativity from the natural world.

She draws inspiration from the changing seasons, handpicking flowers, berries, and leaves to create unique floral patterns for each piece. The colours of the plants and their shades inform the selection of beads, gemstones, and hand-dyed caribou hair for her jewelry and other wearable art pieces ensuring a perfect match.

Randi’s work is often in sync with the changing seasons, requiring swift observation to capture and create pieces while each flora is in bloom. This process aids Randi in identifying and studying various plants, appreciating their transient beauty and developing respect for the knowledge they possess. Her work has been recognized and is included in the Yukon Permanent Art Collection and owned by art collectors worldwide.

Like her culture, Randi’s art is a blending of two worlds. She combines European patterns and antique beads with traditional Indigenous smoked hide, quills, shells and caribou hair. Inspired by the natural world around her, she creates detailed replicas of nature found only in a particular season. She uses various media to capture the detail, texture, colour and feelings of each plant or other resource so that it can be appreciated long after the moment has passed.

randinelsondesigns.com