Inner/Outer Journeys

Artist Statement

This collection of acrylic paintings explores the inner and outer journeys and the life lessons that came with them over the past few years.

The inner journeys of finding and maintaining a spiritual practice are represented through the Interconnection Series. This work aims to recognize and honor the relationships between all aspects of Nature and has helped deepen my appreciation for Nature, inner and outer, majestic and mundane.

The outer journeys of my physical movement are represented through The Forest Stories Series. This work explores the Japanese concept of forest therapy, which supports health and wellness through immersion in forests. This work represents my recent experiences and relationships with the Boreal forest and the Amazonian rainforests.

Please enjoy some of the paintings which are the result of my personal explorations and lessons from this chapter of my life. These lessons include insight, awe, curiosity, adaptation, growth, transformation and hope.

http://www.elevationgallery.ca


Rising Phoenix 24x36




Forest Bathing III 24x48




Metamorphosis 12x24




Into the Light 36x60





Butterfly II 8x8





Forest Stories 24x38




Journey I 8x8




Trees and Sky II 24x36




Forest Frequencies I -24x36

Cover Art for Northword Literary Journal

Issue #15 Climbing the Mountain 
Guest edited by Theresa Wells. 
Cover art: Lucie Bause. 

Many thanks to Guest Editor Theresa Wells for inviting me to submit an image for the cover of this issue. I chose my painting "Solar Glow" as this issue was to come out in mid-summer, at the height of the long days in the north and the summer solstice. The publication was a few months behind the scheduled date due to the wildfire event and evacuation in the Wood Buffalo Region in May 2016. Finally it is here and I am so happy to see my art featured on the cover!

Adventures in The Amazon

In July 2016, I embarked on an amazing one month adventure into the Peruvian Amazon Region. I had been wanting to do this for several years, ever since my last trip to Peru in 2012. Over the past two years specifically, I had been craving both and adventure and a retreat, somewhere to re-connect with Nature and with myself.

After much research, I found and signed up for a deep immersion retreat which offered physical, emotional and spiritual cleansing and healing in the Amazonian jungle. I flew from Calgary to Houston, to Lima and then to Iquitos, and then met some of the other people that were going on the retreat. Wonderful, interesting people from all over the world. From Iquitos we met the rest of our group and we took a bus, then a boat and then we hiked into the jungle get to our home for the next month.



We became acquainted with our new home and friends and then we met the teachers and healers we would be working with for the next month. From our amazing Shipibo healers we learned about and worked with Amazonia plants and medicines from their cultural tradition and worldview. We were immersed in the dense jungle environment where these plants grow naturally which was the perfect place for this healing learning journey of a lifetime.

Maestros blessing plants with mapacho

Shipibo embrodiery textile 

The retreat proved to be a deeply transformative experience which helped bring me back into connection with Nature and myself. As a consequence, this brought back balance and harmony in my life. This transformation could not have happened without some challenges. Consciously engaging with emotional pain and discomfort from my past was not pretty or pleasant, but it was required to move forward. I am so grateful to the Maestros and plants for their grace and guidance in this process. It helped me to recognize and heal some deep emotional traumas from childhood, which have been holding me back for my whole life.

The Seven Teachings Project

 

The Seven Teachings are the inspiration for the most recent RRC Public art project, which includes seven large-scale art projects by seven Indigenous artists from Western Canada. The sculptures will be installed on the new TOTAL Interpretive Trail in summer 2016.

My role was to design and deliver Educational Programming around the project, including art tours and art workshops through RRC School Visits Program. I had the pleasure of working in collaboration with an inspiring Cree storyteller who works at the Wood Buffalo Regional Library, to as well as a talented Metis artist to help deliver programs.

Between Fall 2015 and Spring 2016,  we had over 900 students in the Wood Buffalo Region from Pre-K to Grade 12 participate in the School Visits Program to learn about the public art, The Seven Teachings Project, and to create and exhibit artworks based on these valuable cultural teachings.

Here are some examples of the student artwork which were displayed at the community art gallery.

     
 
 The eagle teaches love.
                                                                                   

 
 

 The buffalo teaches respect.

  
 
  The bear teaches courage.

                      

                     
                     






























The wolf teaches humility.

                                                                                        

      

 




       

The kitche-sabe teaches honesty.

  

                                                                          

The Beaver teaches wisdom.        

                        

The turtle teaches truth.




It was an exciting learning experience for everyone, and I look forward to the opening of the Aboriginal Interpretive trail.

The Miquwahkesis Project

Miquwahkesis means red fox in the Cree language, and is an RRC public art project which includes multiple fibreglass fox sculptures hand painted by artists and students in the Wood Buffalo Region.

My role was to design and deliver Educational Programming around the project, as well as public art awareness. I also worked with student groups in Ft. McMurray, Anzac and Ft. McKay to help them create their fox sculptures.

Between Spring 2014 and Spring 2015, I worked with 1,264 students in the Wood Buffalo Region through RRC School Visits Program to create artworks based on The Miquwahkesis Project. That is a lot of fox art!

   












                                                                                    

2D Artworks created by the students and some
of the 3D fox sculptures were displayed in a colourful
and celebratory community art exhibition.














       

Our Roll in Recycling: A Community Art Recycle Project

Community Recyclables Collection

A collection toilet paper, paper towel and wrapping paper rolls were pre-painted in 

4 hot colours in preparation for the RRC The Craze event on December 31, 2015.

Community Painting Collaboration

The Wood Buffalo community were invited to paint the collected rolls in a painting workshop and add their designed rolls to create one large colourful community art piece.