Hello! I am the creator behind Indio & Oak!

Nicole Hiebert is a local wild crafting artist blessed to be living so close to where her art materials grow. She grew up in the country and fell in love with all things green as a little girl. She was surrounded by all sorts of life (not just plants, but animals, and birds!!). Now she tends her Old Strathcona garden with the help of her Standard Poodle, Bean.

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It was at an early age Nicole's parents knew she would grow up to be an artist. What kind was really hard to pin down. She was constantly trying new creative endeavors on for size. Nicole loved fashion design and shoes. She filled countless sketch books with crazy shoes and elaborate dresses, coats and hats. She painted animal and bird portraits in oil and acrylic. Tried out landscape painting. Went wild with crazy bright coloured abstract paintings.Sculpting came next. She even tried out woodworking. Finding no aptitude for this and a massive fear of saws, she returned to more traditional art forms. This time it was jewellery making and silver smithing.

Nicole went on to study art at what was Grant MacEwan College and now MacEwan University. She worked many retail jobs and realized that she dearly missed her connection to Nature. She went back to school and studied Horticulture through Olds College. She enjoyed her career of growing, caring for, and designing with plants immensely. (every day was a joy to go to work.

She later opened her own landscape design, restoration and (plant care taking) business. Nicole felt like she was living the dream. She was creating and designing, being and Artist with plants. Life could not be better. Until it wasnt.

Nicole developed debilitating arthritis (had 2 hip replacements and need both knees replaced) and had to put away her shovel, close her business, and think about a forging a new path in life. After a few false starts, Nicole returned to her first love...art. Art brought comfort and joy back into her troubled mind, and wounded soul. It was her therapy and her life line. She began to notice plants again and wondered how she could marry the 2 together like she once did.  Nicole experimented with techniques and ideas, took courses, researched. One day, she made a plant print and knew she'd found home (and a bit of magic). The joy in her heart was back!!! She practiced, and perfected (and played) and "Company Name" was born.

 Joy is to be found in Nature and in art. Arthritis turned out to be a blessing not a tragedy like I thought. Whole new life, but still kept the best of me and made it even better???