Art show features five Native artists

Page 10

Five Alberta Native artists will be featured in an at show in Calgary February 24 to March 20.

According to a press release from the show's sponsor, the Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Society (AIACS), the "dynamic, art show," to be held at NOVA - An Alberta Corporation's gallery February 24 to March 20 will be "controversial" and "definitely exciting."

The featured artists are Faye HeavyShield, Kim McLain, Ken Swan and Sam Warrior

Faye HeavyShield

HeavyShield was raised on the Blood Reserve and had resided in Calgary for 12 years until her relocation to Fort Smith, NWT in the summer of 1986. As a student at the Alberta College of Art, she discovered that she liked to feel the physical shape of the work in her hands. This preference led her to develop a distinctive technique and style that won her second place at Asum Mena '85 and first prize of $5,000 at Asum Mean '86.

HeavyShield's abstract mixed media reliefs are experiments in texture and consist of cloth and canvas on a wooden frame painted in solid monotones in earthy hues. The primary focus of attention is on the texture rather than the object itself.

HeavyShield's unique reliefs offer her the flexibility and freedom she requires as an artist. They arose from her experience sculpting and drawing and are a reflection of images chosen from memory. While the substances and layers are not Native in the traditional-historical sense, there is a Native influence "in spirit," according to HeavyShield.

HeavyShield won the $2,000 1985 Ben Calf Robe Memorial Scholarship sponsored by the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede Board. She attended the University of Alberta in the B.F.A. Program and is looking forward to developing her gallery contact to cultivate an audience for her work.

George Littlechild

George James Littlechild's pastel drawings integrate soft colour and texture with an innate spirituality quality and awareness of Indian and non-Indian worlds. He looks at his art as a means of expressing his feelings to both cultures, using the contemporary style to impart the Native traditions that are the focus of his work.

A series of dusky pastel drawings have emerged out of Littlechild's fascination with the designs and patterns of traditional Native dresses. Skins, fabrics, shells, beadwork and fringes inspired these creations to which Littlechild has added his own imaginative touches. The dresses are an expression of a time that no longer exists. Littlechild derived these from his mother's traditional Plains Cree culture. Writing is frequently incorporated into his drawing. Littlechild believes it is another natural form of expression that adds to the impact of his drawings. He is particularly fond of geometrical shapes that have symbolic Indian meanings, such as circles and triangles.

He produced a series of mixed media works featuring doll images. This series was so popular at '86 Asum Mena that he sold out within the first ten minutes of the opening.

Littlechild is also a highly accomplished printmaker. A graduate from the Art & Design Program at Red Deer College, he is currently attending the Nova Scotia School of Art and Design. He was awarded third runner-up of $500 at Asum Mena in '86. He is represented in several public collections, including the Alberta Native Secretariat, Trent University, Red Deer College, the Alberta Arts Foundation and Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Society. He also illustrated a Cree Indian Legend for Access Alberta Illustrated.

Kim McLain

Kim McLain is an adventurous artist who creates out of his environment. Born

in Oxbow, Saskatchewan, McLain lived in the Northwest Territories, Montana, South Dakota, Missouri, Northern Alberta communities and Calgary before moving to Edmonton.

While attending school, McLain won numerous art awards which prompted him to further his training at the Calgary College of Art in Calgary. At present, he combines his work as a commercial artist with a promising career as a forma artist. McLain's interests are reflected in the variety of media he uses, from pencil and mixed media to ink, water-colours, acrylics and pastels. His inventive curiosity and willingness to take risks have resulted in some intriguing images, some of which were created using microfiche, airbrush and process camera.

Works by Kim McLain have been included in Nistum '84 where he tied for second place, Asum Mena '85 where he was a runner-up and Asum Mena '86 where he was awarded first runner-up. He is also represented in public collections of Alberta Native Secretariat, the National Collection of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Society, Peace Hills Trust. McLain won second place in the latter's Native Art Collection Contest in 1983.

Sam Warrior

Inspired by legendary symbols like petroglyphs, the stone carvings of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Cree, Shoshoni and Algonquin Indians, mixed-media artist Sam Warrior creates vibrant bold images in his printmaking and drawing. Extremely fascinated with buffalo and birds of prey and their Native folklore, he often features them in his work. Warrior's creativity combined with his skilled application of many techniques results in exciting unique artworks.

A direct descendant of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe in Idaho, Warrior is very proud of his heritage and has a passion for Native art, particularly authentic designs and symbols of the Plainsmen tribes. He grew up in the Pincher Creek area and has been drawing as far back as he can remember. At an early age he admired hide paintings and teepee designs and found himself drawn to researching Native art and then expressions of himself through his art.

His formal art training includes a four year study at Calgary's Alberta College of Art, with a major of photography. Primarily he photographs landscapes and uses his camera as a tool in art study or in a documentary sense as in the research on petroglyphs.

Warrior is currently workin on a fine arts degree at the University of Calgary, majoring in silk screen printing and photography.

His talent as a fine artist of mixed media skills has been recognized in the past few years with many awards. In 1986 he was second runner-up in the annual juried Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Society show. In 1985 he won the Calgary Photo Distributors Ltd. corporate award for the best photography portfolio and highest academic standard in the 400 level photography class in the fine arts program at the University of Calgary. He received the Everett Soop Scholarship in 1981 in recognition of his drawings.

Warrior's artworks have been enjoyed by many viewers at group exhibitions such as 1986 Peace Hills Trust art show, where he received an honourable mention. He exhibits in the Westlands Gallery in Calgary. His photo exhibits include the Calgary Nickle Arts Museum and the university campus Mezzanine Gallery. His piece, "A Road To Victory" is housed in the faculty of fine arts collection at the University of Calgary.

Ken Swan

Edmonton-born Ken Swan has been drawing since he was four years old, and is enjoying a blossoming career thanks to the early encouragement of teachers who recognized his talent and potential.

Primarily, Swan draws dramatic pencil and ink sketches of characters he has observed or envisioned. As he often expresses what troubles him, his art is an honest, natural form of communication which provides emotional relief. A lot of his representations stem from moments in everyday life, so he feels his work touches the viewer.

Swan is also creating art works in wood sculpture and watercolour painting.

He has several courses to his credit including landscape painting and the Vermilion College life drawing course.

Swan's work has appeared in Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Society shows Nistum, Asum Mena '85, and Asum Mena '86, the Peace Hills trust art show in Edmonton and the St. Paul Cultural Centre. He is looking forward to showing in a newWinnipeg Gallery, Gallery 427.

Following 13 years on the Enoch Reserve, Swan moved to St. Paul where he freelances as a graphic artist and draws cartoons for the St. Paul Journal.

He is contemplating writing and illustrating a book of poems centered around life and everyday people. Swan plans to travel extensively to study people and places, thus expanding his visual resources and drawing opportunities. He also intends to further his art education in the near future.