Spotlight on Nile: Painting, Textile, and his Journey

Have you Seen Nile?

You may or may not have seen Nile X out on the streets of Toronto, on the TTC, in the St. Lawrence Market, or the Kensington Market, If not on the streets, then on social media like Instagram or TikTok. 

For those who may not know him, Nile is a 19-year old artist who is deeply passionate about the world of the arts and fashion. Painting, textile, and designing are all his specialties.  

His journey first began at the age of 12. He recalls his visit to a dollar store where he walked down the arts and crafts aisle, purchasing canvas and other painting supplies. Nile took them home, and created his first ever painting which was a sunset. 

The completion of his painting left him with a feeling that summed up his decision for a career. 

“I remember the process being so pleasurable, and from that point, I decided to pursue a career in painting,” Nile says. 

It’s been more than five years since Nile first began painting. Although painting is his forté, he is drawn to textile and creating fashionable pieces of clothing. He is keen on utilizing his artistic abilities and transferring it onto garments and textiles. 

“I always wanted to take the paint, take my skills in painting, and put it onto garments. Just being a walking piece of artwork,” Nile says.

Inspired by Plants and People

Nile’s creativity and inspiration comes from nature and people. Similar to plants, his mind flourishes when he is surrounded by nature.

Going back to his high school days, Nile had received a monstera plant (also known as the swiss cheese plant) from his art teacher which inspired him to explore his creativity. He learned to exaggerate the plant’s form, create different patterns, and figure out his colour palette. 

His palette consists mostly of red and earth tones which can be seen in most of his artwork. 

Other sources of inspiration are derived from people’s sense of fashion, and art museums. 

“I learn from the art museums, seeing different fashion styles, different ways of how people do their things give me that inspiration,” Nile says.  

The City is a Challenge

Despite the years of being an artist, Nile says that there are quite a few challenges to this profession and one of them has to be the city in itself.  

From his point of view, Toronto is a reserved city with a lack of opportunity when it comes to growth. Especially when comparing it to other cities such as New York, which he has visited quite often. 

“The attitude here is that people are a little more reserved compared to other places, right? And also, that personality of being reserved not just holds you, on art or whatever. It’s throughout many things,” Nile says. 

When visiting New York, he says that people are more eager and open to supporting new and growing artists. Making connections is a lot easier than it is in Toronto whether it’s for art, fashion, or both. 

“When I was in New York and just painting on the streets, interacting with people, you made it like, oh, let me invite you to my fashion show. Oh, I got an interview, this, you wanna do this. Oh, you wanna do that,” Nile says. 

Nile continues to say “There’s always something, they wanna take you up to the next level. ‘I discovered that person’ there’s that attitude, right? Where people would buy your work, they would support you, or find ways they would mentor you.”

He doesn’t see much of that happening in Toronto, but is hopeful that people’s attitude towards supporting new artists will change. 

“I don’t see that happening here. I hope it happens. I don’t blame it, it’s just that’s how Toronto is. You gotta be recognized by an institution, something big.”

The profession of an artist is one that lacks stability. There’s no guarantee that you will always be getting clients.  And lastly, there is the self doubt and imposter syndrome that comes creeping along. 

In spite of all the adversity that Nile faces, he learns to navigate and continue in his journey as an artist. He sees challenges as a form of growth. 

“I think it’s there for a reason. You overcome it, you learn, because if there’s no challenges, you never grow,” Nile says

Where is Nile off to? 

Travelling is always on Nile’s agenda. The United States is a country that he often visits via cycling. In terms of his work, Nile is currently working on a two-year  project. 

“I bought a bus recently, a short bus. I’m converting it to an auto studio in my home because I really need a studio. I kind of got evicted and I don’t want to face that ever again,” Nile says.

He says the bus would help him with moving from place to place and exploring the city better. 

 Nile hopes to continue sharing his work with people,  work as a painter, and hone his craftsmanship skills with textile and garment. 

You can find Nile out on the streets of Toronto, or find him on social media like TikTok or Instagram.

TikTok: artistnile

Instagram: artistnile