Vicki Sullivan
About Vicki
The granddaughter of a gifted blacksmith artist, Vicki Sullivan was born with creativity in her bones. From childhood onward she explored every medium she could get her hands on—drawing, pastels, watercolour, acrylics, beadwork, clay modelling, bone‑carving, even glass‑blowing. Though her skills grew, none of these practices ignited a lasting fire. That changed one autumn evening when a friend introduced her to wool needle‑felting.
It was a life‑altering moment.
The artistic expression that had been quietly percolating for decades finally found its voice, bursting forth in a joyful celebration of colour, movement, and luminous radiance. Wool offered something extraordinary: the way it holds light, its tactile presence, the ability to sink one’s hands directly into the medium, and its versatility—capable of lying flat or rising into sculptural relief. Perhaps its greatest gift is its forgiving nature, allowing elements to be lifted, shifted, and re‑worked without disturbing the foundation beneath.
For years, Vicki immersed herself in the wonders of felting—until encaustic entered her world. The first time she saw encaustic in person, she was captivated. When she finally gathered the supplies and began to work with wax, she experienced another moment of knowing, of coming home, much like her first encounter with felting. Her first day of working with wax was more like remembering than learning. Despite their differences, wool and wax share a kinship: both invite deep texture, layered history, bas‑relief effects, and subtractive techniques that reveal what lies beneath. Her years of felting laid the groundwork for an intuitive, exploratory approach to wax—and eventually to the fusion of the two. Today, she embraces her identity as a dual‑practice artist, working between two distinct studio spaces that keep her creativity fresh, playful, and curious.
Vicki’s artistic journey is inseparable from the tapestry of her life. Growing up on an acreage in Cochrane, Alberta, with a sweeping bay‑window view of the Rocky Mountains, she developed an early reverence for nature and the majesty of the landscapes that continue to inspire her. She carries an unquenchable desire to distill the essence of natural beauty and express it through texture, colour, and vibrance. Her travels have also shaped her artistic philosophy; the vivid impressions gathered from exceptional moments around the world have become a reservoir of inspiration she draws from again and again.
In her youth, Vicki channelled her adventurous spirit into surfing, snowboarding, cliff jumping, bungy jumping, skydiving, and spinning fire. Time has tempered the extremes, but not the impulse. Today she pours that same bold energy into her art—continually experimenting, innovating, and pushing the boundaries of fibre and wax to honour the splendour of creation. She has lived and worked in Australia, England, and Ireland, and explored countless coastlines and cultures. Subtle echoes of her love for travel and the sea appear throughout her work.
Vicki now lives on a small hobby farm in central Alberta with her favourite people: her husband, daughter, and two sons. She has had the privilege of homeschooling all of her children and continues to homeschool her youngest. In the summer months, she can be found with her feet in the soil and her mind in the clouds, tending the gardens, orchard, and greenhouses that nourish her family—and that she hopes will one day nourish her wider community.
Alongside her studio practice, Vicki is an experienced art educator, offering workshops in diverse settings as well as private studio sessions. Her teaching style is upbeat, encouraging, and deeply process‑oriented, empowering both beginners and seasoned artists to explore textured art with confidence and curiosity. Her award‑winning work has been exhibited across Western Canada and collected internationally. She continues to expand the possibilities of fibre‑encaustic fusion, championing slow craft, material exploration, and the emotional resonance of handmade work.
Vicki is delighted to be joining the Painting with Fire team, which she considers the premier platform for expanding one’s encaustic practice. She is honoured to teach alongside some of her favourite encaustic artists from around the world—creatives whose techniques, generosity, and encouragement have been a source of inspiration. Artists are extraordinary people, and Vicki considers it a profound blessing to be part of such a vibrant community.
You can view Vicki’s work at:
Class Details
Felt Fusion: Integrating Wax and Wool
Discover a captivating hybrid artform in this innovative masterclass with artist and educator Vicki Sullivan. Felt Fusion is Vicki’s signature process of uniting needle‑felted wool with encaustic painting to create richly textured, multidimensional works that celebrate the strengths of both mediums. The soft, matte tactility of wool naturally evokes fur, feathers, grasses, and other organic forms, while the luminous sheen of encaustic beautifully suggests reflective water, glowing skies, and sculpted winter landscapes.
We’ll begin by exploring the fundamentals of needle‑felting—what it is, the tools required, and why it has become such an exciting addition to contemporary art. You’ll learn how to use a notched needle and wool to build painterly effects, including a step‑by‑step demonstration of an animal subject coming to life. Along the way, Vicki will share her favourite techniques for creating depth, texture, and expressive detail with wool.
Next, we’ll look at how to choose reference images that highlight the unique strengths of both wool and wax. We’ll compare studio setups for felting and encaustic work, then move into Vicki’s process for creating an encaustic background and preparing it for the Felt Fusion technique.
Once both components are ready, Vicki will demonstrate the delicate, intentional method of securing the needle‑felted piece onto the encaustic surface. We’ll finish with a discussion on how to safely buff and finish your completed artwork to preserve its dimensional qualities.
How to Choose & Use a Reference Photo
Certain artistic processes are transformed when supported by the right reference photo. In this class, artist and educator Vicki Sullivan will explore why some subjects truly benefit from working with a strong reference and how to choose one that elevates your artwork rather than limits it. Choosing and Using a Reference Photo is designed specifically for encaustic artists of all levels, whether you are just starting out or have advanced experience.
You’ll learn where to ethically source reference images—from your own photography, to trusted royalty‑free sites, to generous photographers who enjoy seeing their work reimagined through art. We’ll also look at what makes a reference effective, including lighting, contrast, colour palette, and classic compositional tools used by the Old Masters.
From there, we’ll dive into why and how to edit your reference to better convey the emotion or message you want your piece to express. Vicki will share examples demonstrating both a high reliance on the reference and a more interpretive, low‑reliance approach, helping you understand how to adapt references to suit your artistic voice.
By the end of the class, you’ll have built a strong foundation in selecting and using reference photos to enhance your creative process and artistic vision with purpose. Whether you want to better capture a specific mood or improve your compositions, this class offers practical strategies to help you make intentional, inspired choices.
