Buffalo Lake artist impresses

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Camillia Shott is a 16-year-old emerging artist who lives in Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement and attends Caslan School in Caslan.

Recently Sweetgrass had the opportunity to look over a selection of her drawings depicting life up north, and the historical and cultural themes that are dear to her.

Camillia hasn't decided what she wants to do for a career yet, but it is clear that she is talented with pencil, pastel and brush. Pencil drawing is her favorite, followed by pastels and charcoal. Paint is her least favorite medium because "sometimes it's messy."

She said she realizes that even if she does decide to pursue art professionally she will likely need another source of income to fall back on. She is considering working as a heavy equipment operator.

Currently the unassuming young lady is in Grade 9, where her favorite subject is mathematics, which she enjoys because it's "challenging." She writes poetry too. And not surprisingly she takes art twice a week as an optional Native Arts course, which also includes beading.

Her school has noted Camillia's artistic accomplishments, and she has won pastels and paper for her efforts there.

She lives with her grandmother, who has always encouraged her abilities. Camillia comes from a large family with assorted skills in creative fields, she said. Her cousin Darryl Shott has some of his paintings hanging in a school, her uncle Charles plays the fiddle, and another cousin, Russell Shott, writes for the Metis Messenger newspaper.

"My grampa used to draw, but he's shaky now," added Camillia.

At the settlement, there are three lakes in the colony that provide plenty of inspiration for drawing. Right now she is working on a mountain scene that includes trees of the region-spruce, poplar, birch and jack pine -as well as tipis.

When she started out at a very young age, she said, she drew houses, then horses. Next her back yard and the nearby lake. Now she focuses on roses and her front yard. Sometimes she adopts ideas from other pictures she sees, then adds her original details.

"I like to stick to things I want to be perfect," she said.

Finding art paper or poster paper in Buffalo Lake is not too difficult, but Camillia said when she needs blue art pencils with the softer lead she has to search in Boyle for supplies.

When she is not busy developing her talents as an artist or working at school activities, Camillia plays with her two-month-old kitten and spends time with family and friends.