Resilience
I named this exhibition “Resilience” because that word defines what I have witnessed after forty years of painting. A lot has changed over that 40 years - a lot has improved for many communities but the social realisms such outdated infrastructure and poverty are still prevalent in many Indigenous communities. This collection of work touches on the definition of that word - the importance of holding on to traditional knowledge, the challenges we must endure regarding climate change, inherited poverty, surviving colonial and intergenerational trauma and thoughts of leaving it all behind to find something better. Resilience is about surviving and perseverance, about standing strong and proud despite what history has thrown at you.
At the Bearclaw Gallery in Edmonton from October 19-November 2 2024
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Breaclaw Gallery
Kamamsk Iskwesis / The Butterfly Girl
The Survivors
HIs Useless Old Car
New Works
I have been experimenting with oil and have found the medium beautiful to work with despite the fumes that come with it. The texture of oil paint and blending/mixing of colour is less abrasive than acrylics, plus the extended drying time allows you work with colour depth and texture much longer than you would have with acrylics.
These two new works “Sundance Memory” and “Rebel” are my most recent works in oil - different in style for sure but I do like to experiment with art making - these compositions are a result of Covid 19 - with the societal changes we must engage in has made me look back into my early memories of life. “Sundance Memory” is just that, way back when I was very young I recall a visit in Alberta to such an event - honestly I don’t recall what it actually was but it was a place my Dad took my sister and me to while visiting relatives, we parked away from the event and walked across an open field toward a rather large circular encampment- there were a few teepees and tents around and I remember drumming. Its a faded memory- but one that Covid brought back to me - that freedom to gather and this I believe is my youngest memory of that freedom.
“Rebel” is a self portrait from a photo dating to about 1993/4 - at the time I was heavily involved with the Society of Canadian Artists of Native Ancestry where as a society we advocated for inclusion of contemporary Indigenous into collections of Provincial and Public art galleries and the National Gallery as well, we pressured Provincial and Federal funding agencies to recognize the professionalism of Indigenous artists and to include Indigenous artists on peer assessment committees. So, I knew by being the Co- Chair of this organization that I would be indeed labeled a “Rebel” by those galleries and institutions we challenged. Strange how things workout as I ended up working both in a Provincial gallery (Art Gallery of Nova Scotia) as their first Indigenous curator and eventually at the Canada Council for the Arts, Canada’s art funding body as their first Indigenous Visual Arts Officer.
Sundance Memory
Rebel