Artist of the Month – September, 2016

Peace River residents will recognize our September artist of the month, Vivian St. Andre, as someone with a deep personal history in the Peace. Vivian followed her passion for art with a Visual Arts Education through Grande Prairie Regional College (GPRC), Athabasca University and Fairview College. She continued to supplement her studies by taking summer art classes in Edmonton and Red Deer and more recently participated in Art History Tours through GPRC/NAIT which took her and fellow travellers/artists to galleries in London, Venice and Eastern Canada.
Vivian deftly captures the expressiveness of the environment, the nuances of everyday objects and musicians and dancers poised at their art. Some may remember her many contributions to art exhibits at the once Fairview College (PR Campus), now Northern Lakes College, Fairview Creative Arts Centre, Grande Prairie Regional College and her works on exhibit with other Peace of Art members at the Library and Art Gallery and  at Java Domain. Do you recall viewing the bold canvass with the cello player intent on the sounds he was drawing from the instrument or the almost life-sized ballerina gracefully bent to wrap the ribbons of her pointe slippers?

“The subject matter of my art is as varied as the mediums I like to work with. The subjects are represented either traditionally or in abstract form. Some may have a voice recognizing human or environmental issues but generally my art expresses my appreciation for the beauty of nature, the human body, people, architecture and the fine arts of music and dance." (Quote by Vivian St. Andre in her artist's statement)

While her favourite medium is pastels, she also works in photography, paints with watercolours, acrylic and in past works explored oils. A canoe on a summer’s day is featured on the Art Wall this month and the poplars of our boreal forest make the viewer feel like reaching out to touch the soft bark painted on another canvass. Reminisce with pioneer school desks or enjoy the architecture of heritage buildings in eastern Canada through the artist’s eye.

Drop by to view Vivian’s work any time from Monday to Saturday between 10am and 5pm.

Dave Matilpi – FROM THE HEART - Artist of the Month of August

A face that easily breaks into a smile, a gray braid down his back, a feather in his hat, Dave Matilpi is an Elder, a Pow Wow dancer, a teacher, an artist, and a gifted communicator.

Dave Matilpi was born in Alert Bay, British Columbia, which is the traditional territory of the Kwakiutl First Nation. 

Papa Dave, as he is known to many students in the Peace who have been influenced by his insight, humour and wisdom, teaches using his traditional and personal stories. These stories are very often the inspiration behind his art work.  As a self-taught artist, he works in wood, antler, ink, paint and murals. One need only visit the Sagitawa Friendship Centre to view a full wall mural created by Dave or see him dancing in his Pow Wow regalia, created in the traditional style with his West Coast designs to appreciate his artistic abilities.



Dave’s West Coast images are striking and bold in colour, expressing, in some, the well-known characteristics of the Wild Woman or the Summer Sisters (also known as, mosquitoes). These works can all be viewed at the Sagitawa Friendship Centre gift shop. I remember when he first presented at the Museum as the Artist of the Month a couple of years ago, he explained how he was beginning to see a blend of West Coast and northern Cree images in his work – the influence of years of living in northern Alberta.



Stolen Family Teachings

Most recently his work reflects his life’s journey, specifically the impact of attending residential school in Alert Bay. His formative years were spent in Alert Bay Residential School. One can see in the images painted on canvas the inspiration and strength he derives from his traditions to move forward and bring awareness and greater understanding to those who see and hear his stories about this personal journey. These are the works currently on display at the Museum. In them, you will see traditional images freely moving on the canvass within the confining shapes and symbols of his residential school experience. The two dichotomies seem to express the ever present memories with the strength and wisdom of the ancient Elders.

 

Ancestor's Love

 

Dave Matilpi’s art, like the art of Carey Newman’s Witness Blanket, currently on exhibit, help break the silence about Canada’s residential school system and contribute to the national conversation and healing our country is experiencing.  

Colourful fish prints

David Walty has lived in Peace River and worked as a fisheries biologist and wildlife manager for over 40 years.  Art has been a part of his family and his life since he was a young boy.  “I would say, I have always dabbled with various media, often connecting my profession and love of nature with art.”

He has drawn and painted fish for over 20 years, most of his earlier works were very stylized pen and ink, pencil or water colour profiles of Alberta fish. The designs were strongly influenced by aboriginal and particularly west coast art.

 His “fish pressing” all started during an ice fishing trip a few years ago.  Good friends Claire and Brian Lucko took him and his wife Maureen to their ice fishing hut on Lesser Slave Lake. Claire and David took some water colour paints along and after a few fish were caught, decided to put away the fishing rods and do a little art work. That was the beginning of fish pressing. Since then David has tried to improve his techniques and spends considerable time fishing for subject fish and experimenting.

The technique involves painting the fish, then pressing the paper over the fishes’ body and fins to get a complete impression of the fish. That may seem easy, but to get a complete print of the fish, is quite challenging. Different paints and colours adhere to the fish in different ways making impressions vary, but often leading to pleasant surprises. The stretching and mounting of the rough paper pressings transforms the imprint into an attractive art form.

Individual fish by themselves produced a somewhat static picture whereas with the addition of minnows (small fish) to the print, the fish comes to life. View this new art exhibit and see if the fish come to life for you.

Ice fishing cabin

Painting the fish before preparing it for a delicious supper!