NWT Arts

Art is all in the eye of the beholder, as they say, and inspiration is everywhere if you really look. A lot of my own inspiration comes from family and my children, and the very first pieces I made were specifically for some of them. The art I create is done using fish scales & bones, and with my family having a long history in the fishing industry I have a lot of available materials to use.

I grew up in Hay River, Northwest Territories in the West Channel which has a long connection to the town’s fishing history. It definitely plays a role in the reason for choosing the art style. There are also very few artists that create fish-scale art, so it’s quite a unique medium. The first time I saw this style was by an artist out of Lutselk’e, and I think that might have initially sparked my interest. At first I just wanted to try it, but now it has become a very big part of my life.

Creating this type of art is very microscopic, and can take a long time to do each piece. When I’m working on them it gives me time for self-reflection, and helps build a lot of patience. I’ll often sit for hours trying to make things perfect in each piece. It’s very calming and therapeutic at the same time though. Some of the pieces I create are flowers, fish, and more recently I’m trying to branch out into various insects as well. I usually just sit down and create though, whatever happens – happens. Incorporating my children, and using their input, is definitely something that helps motivate my work.