Niki McKenzie
The sculptor works with all traditional materials (bronze, stone, wood), as well as with unusual several materials such as sand, ice and pumpkin, bringing the transforming from the sunshine capital of New Zealand, Niki made the move to the sub arctic of Canada in 2016. Despite growing up on one of the best beaches in the world, this is only her 2nd foray into sand sculpture. Niki is the artistic director for the snowking winter festival, a month long art and music celebration hosted in a 15,000 square foot castle built of ice and snow. She has also competed locally and internationally at various snow carving festivals. Niki has no formal art training, just a raw passion and a whole lot of stamina, and years in professional kitchens have helped with a keen eye for detail, and the ability to sharpen anything to a razor edge. She draws a lot of inspiration from her Maori heritage with stories, patterns and wood carving techniques.