ABOUT SABINA

Sabina Hill is passionate about creating work that celebrates the Pacific Northwest.

Founded in 1993, Sabina Hill Design has evolved into an interdisciplinary design studio located in Pender Harbour on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.

Sabina designed her own home with live-in gallery and studio for her waterfront property in 2019. This unique live-work space includes a well-appointed private guest suite for those who wish to live with her art in a truly immersive experience, observe her creative process, and collaborate on commissioned pieces.

Sabina Hill Live-in Gallery

Sabina Hill Gallery, Studio, and Sea Forest Guest Suite

Born in Vancouver, BC, and descended from four generations of Pacific Coast Canadians living between the forest and the sea, Sabina is inspired by her sense of place and tells a visual story through her innovative designs. 

Sabina spent part of her early childhood in Tahsis, BC, a remote area on the rugged West Coast of Vancouver Island that is rich in First Nations culture. She was first introduced to First Nations art through her parents’ collection of Nuchatlaht baskets. Captivated by their vibrant colours and motifs, these baskets are now displayed in her home and are a reminder of the power of inspiration.

As a young adult, she became interested in three-dimensional and sculptural works, and completed her foundation art year at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.

Growing up, Sabina spent time at her family’s historic Yellow Point Lodge on Vancouver Island, exploring acres of pristine oceanfront. Her grandfather, Gerry Hill, built the lodge in the 1930s. Current owners Richard and Sandi Hill asked Sabina to design their Scout Point house, her first commission, and reaffirmed her belief that a site’s unique landscape is a rich source of inspiration.

Scout Point House, Vancouver Island

Sabina has degrees in environmental studies from the University of Manitoba and in architecture from the University of British Columbia. In 1993, she founded her multi-disciplinary studio with projects ranging from custom residential, interiors and renovations, to built-in furniture and landscape design.

One Harbour Green Rooftop Garden, Coal Harbour Urban Garden & Canopy, Private Residence, Lake Okanagan

Sabina is deeply inspired by the natural world and the influence of First Nations people who have been expressing the spirit of the land through art for thousands of years. Her early place-based influences include architects Arthur Erickson and Ron Thom, pioneers of the West Coast modern movement that embraced geographical and cultural context, and artists Emily Carr and Jack Shadbolt, whose paintings have included First Nations imagery and forms. 

Arthur Erickson, UBC Museum of Anthropology; Emily Carr, “Kitwancool”; and Jack Shadbolt, “Variation on a Kwakiutl Ghost Mask”

Seeking to create works with a distinctly Pacific Northwest Coast design aesthetic, Sabina began collaborating professionally with First Nations artists in 1998. Her creations, presented through unique material combinations and leading-edge technologies, bring the ceremonial into daily life and celebrate the convergence of two distinct design cultures.

In her solo and collaborative work, Sabina mixes contemporary abstraction with traditional mythology to create unique designs that the late Dr. George MacDonald (former president of the Bill Reid Foundation) hailed as,

“demonstrating the next phase in the development of Northwest Coast art and design.” 

Sabina Hill, Message From the Big Chair 
(original lino-cut with Chine-collé relief prints)

Dining Table commission with Mark Preston

With her background in relief printmaking and architecture, her keen understanding of positive and negative space is evident in her three-dimensional work.

Sechelt Residence Art Commissions

Thunderbird Chair & Ottoman with Andy Everson

Interior design features fireplace surround with Mark Preston

Sabina’s work is recognized nationally and internationally. It is in the permanent collection of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada, and it has been commissioned by the Government of Canada for diplomatic premises abroad including Canada House High Commission in London, England, the Canadian Joint Delegation to NATO in Brussels, Belgium, the Canadian consulate in Guangzhou, China, and the Official Residences in Berlin, Germany, and Barbados.

COLLABORATIONS

Collaborating with Canadian First Nations artists, Sabina Hill

translates the visual language of the Northwest Coast art tradition into the laser-cut clarity of museum-quality contemporary furniture and art. Her collaborations reflect an enduring legacy of exchange and cross-fertilization between artists.

STEVE SMITH, (DLA’KWAGILA)

Steve Smith produces exquisitely carved, intricately painted sculptures. Taught by his father and accomplished artist, Harris Smith, in the Oweekeno and Kwakwaka’wakw tradition, Steve has since developed his own distinct and innovative style. Steve’s pieces include original paintings, sculptures, masks, limited edition prints, totem poles and drums. His work has been featured in several major exhibitions throughout North America.

ANDY EVERSON

Andy Everson was born in Comox, BC and named Nagedzi after his grandfather, the late Chief Andy Frank of the K’ómoks First Nation. Influenced heavily by his grandmother, he upholds the traditions of both the K’ómoks and Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations. Primarily a graphic artist who produces limited edition prints, Andy’s strong artistic abilities allow him to create bold and unique representations in a number of contemporary mediums.

MARK PRESTON, (TENNA TSA TEH)

Master of the Copper was born in Dawson City, Yukon Territory is of Tlingit Irish ancestry. Mark first studied with master jeweler and carver Phil Janze (Gitskan Nation), in Hazelton, BC. Primarily a carver, Mark is an accomplished artist who works in various mediums such as paper, metal, wood, glass and stone.

JESSICA SILVEY

Jessica Silvey is a self-taught weaver of Coast Salish and Portuguese descent, of the Silvey Family of Egmont, BC. Many of her childhood hours were spent with her paternal grandmother in the forest. It is her favourite place to be, surrounded by cedar trees and silence. Jessica learned the traditional techniques from her research and spends a lot of her time harvesting and preparing her materials for weaving. Silvey describes weaving as “my passion and therapy for my soul.”