Nicki Forde

Growing up in rural south Florida, Nicki Forde was surrounded by ranch land, cowboys and horses. This environment created a love of horses and nature. By 11 years of age, she had her first horse and was riding all over town. When she wasn’t trail riding or barrel racing, Forde was drawing horses. Today, Forde is a contemporary visual artist who explores the similarities between wildlife and people and how each are impacted by societal constructs. She has a deep interest in autonomy and free will, and uses her art to empower.

Forde received a degree in Communications from International Fine Arts College in Miami in 1993. The two-year private art school had a main focus of communications arts where she learned about graphic design and advertising which resulted in a 25 year career in graphic design. In 2016 Forde transitioned from graphic art to fine art and in this transition, she has found her true and wild calling in an unconventional career choice.  

In 2024, Forde was chosen for a three month long solo show called Horsepower. This exhibit uses paintings of horses to demonstrate the types of power people seek; from wild and uncontrolled power, to collaborative power and finally to power that is taken from another. Forde has been featured in local print and digital publications, is regularly juried into art shows, and illustrated her first children’s book in 2021. Her graphic design background provides Forde with the skill set to apply her fine art to a carefully curated collection of products that allow customers worldwide to collect her art in a variety of ways. Forde is represented by Oakley Gallery in Gainesville, Georgia, and her paintings hang in private collections. She currently works from her home studio in Leesburg, Florida.

FL

From the moment I saw my first horse as a small child, I've felt a connection and a need to draw them... if I could draw them well enough, maybe I could make one appear in my life. Now I create equine art to bring awareness and create positive change in the management of our wild horses.