Meet Nikolor Art
Nikolor Art was kind enough to share their T1D journey with us, as well as a custom CDBC design for our campers this summer. If you want something created special, contact Nikolor Art:
@nikolorart | nikolorart.com | nikolorart@gmail.com
Art and friendship have so much in common. There’s passion, commitment, creativity, and dedication—and for best friends and Nikolor Art founders, Nikole Beck and Angie Tabaczynski, there’s also a little bit of spunk that makes everything more fun! Inspired by their 45-year friendship, Nikolor Art was born with two purposes: to spread joy through art and to create a small business committed to providing custom, hand-drawn, one-of-a-kind creations. Six years later, Nikolor Art has become exactly that and so much more!
The duo is proudly based in Oregon. Both Nikole and Angie grew up in the heart of Portland, and today Nikole lives in Central Oregon while Angie is in Gladstone. Their connection to the T1D community touches Nikole’s family very closely. Her 13-year-old son, Pablo, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 10. This journey has been one of the hardest challenges her and her family have ever faced. For Pablo, it felt like a profound loss—as if he had to start life all over again. At the same time, his family could not be more proud of how he has learned to manage his disease. In those early days, the grieving process was difficult and overwhelming. It was hard to process everything
that was happening and what this new life with T1D would look like. Thankfully, that difficult season eventually led the family toward finding the support and community they needed.
Between doctors, family, friends, and so many incredible people along the way, one of the most meaningful places for Pablo has been the Chris Dudley Basketball Camp.
Pablo has attended camp for the last three years, and the experience has completely blown Nikole and her family away. They have seen firsthand the committed village of staff and campers that Chris has built since 1996. T1D can be such a lonely disease, especially for a kid, and this is one place where Pablo never feels alone.
When Pablo’s third year at camp was approaching, Nikole wanted to create something special: a one-of-a-kind sticker for the staff and campers. Combining her passion for art with something that means so much to her family felt like her way of contributing. She reached out to Joey, who was absolutely fantastic to work with, and asked if she could design a fun sticker for the camp. Joey said yes! As Nikole envisioned the design before putting pencil to paper, she knew she wanted to incorporate the basketball court, backboard, hoop, basketball, Mt. Hood, trees, and the color blue. She also asked Pablo what he didn’t want on the design.
His answer was simple: “Nothing that is literal T1D stuff.”
That made perfect sense to Nikole.
She started with the court and backboard, added the hoop, and then came the question of where to put the basketball. She decided to place it right in the center court. From there, everything seemed to fall into place - the trees, Mt. Hood as the horizon, and the view that can actually be seen while at camp. She added the wording, and voilà... it was done!
Nikole put many hours into creating the design, but honestly, it didn’t matter how long it took. It meant so much more to her than simply creating a sticker. It was a small way to give back to a place that has given her family—and especially Pablo—so much. Nikole and Angie are incredibly grateful for Chris, his team, and the community they have created. The impact of this camp reaches far beyond basketball. For kids living with T1D, it is a place to feel understood, included, and, most importantly, not alone.
For Nikolor Art, being able to combine their love of art, friendship, and giving back to a community that means so much to their family makes this project especially meaningful.
And that little sticker? It carries a whole lot more than a design.