Born in Redondo Beach, California, Nichole Blackburn discovered her passion for art early on. Encouraged by a dedicated high school art teacher, she earned a scholarship to the Young Artists’ Program at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and later received her B.A. in Fine Art and Design from San Diego State University. After graduation, Nichole launched her career as a professional artist and founded Celadon Studio and Fine Art, a Los Angeles–based studio specializing in large-scale murals and decorative painting. By 2005, demand for her work had grown so much that she was booked a year in advance.

That same year, Nichole felt a deeper calling to use her art in service of others. When the opportunity arose to paint a donation mural for a behavioral health center in Long Beach, California, she eagerly said yes. The children at the facility shared drawings of what they wanted to see on the 15-foot therapy room wall, and Nichole wove their ideas into one cohesive mural. After seven days of painting, the project was complete—a joyful collaboration that inspired both the children and staff, and left Nichole deeply fulfilled. It was the beginning of something bigger.

An avid traveler from a young age, Nichole has explored over 60 countries and feels most at home learning from the cultures, people, and landscapes she encounters along the way. In 2006, while working on a mural on the East Coast, Nichole committed to combining her love of art and travel by donating five murals around the world. The following year, taking no donations and using her own money, Nichole painted murals in Thailand, Ireland, the Philippines, Bolivia, and New Orleans. Each project—ranging from 15 to 40 feet—was created in partnership with schools, orphanages, and special-needs facilities, bringing color and joy to children’s spaces in need of uplifting. These experiences planted the seed for what would become her passion project: Big Sky Countries.

The name came to life during a trip to Peru, where Nichole was struck by a brilliant blue sky over a bustling marketplace filled with children. That same sky became the backdrop for her next mural at a school in Thailand. Since then, every Big Sky Countries mural has carried the sky of the country before it, symbolizing a shared humanity—that no matter where we come from, we all live under the same sky.

Today, Nichole continues to create and donate murals worldwide, as well as across the United States. She remains grateful to her greatest supporter—her mom—and to the countless children, educators, and community members who have picked up a brush alongside her.

If you know of a facility in need of a mural, please reach out at info@BigSkyCountries.com