MANITOWANING—‘Introspection,’ the latest gallery exhibit by Debajehmujig Creation Centre’s visual artist in residence Barry Beaver features more than 20 acrylic paintings inspired by his childhood and life experiences starting from Big Stone Cree Nation in Wabasca, Alberta to his new home in Ontario.
“The exhibition represents an emergence from the safety and love of my land-based childhood, filled with mystery, colour, texture and solitude. Realities were seen and unheard, legends faded into shadow, while fallen leaves would blanket the earth amid pine boughs filling the air with the musky scent of the forest,” reads Mr. Beaver’s artist statement at the exhibit.
“A lot of my paintings are based on my memories growing up and my early life, but I also combine that with landscapes from Ontario,” Mr. Beaver said.
His artwork’s scenes span across all seasons and carry unique physical attributes that are connected to the portion of his life that inspired each piece. Some of the paintings closer to the entrance door are recreations of his childhood memories; he opted for a more muted colour palate and softer edges to indicate the passage of time since the formation of those memories. Moving into his life in Ontario, the colours become more vibrant and begin to jump off the canvas. He relocated to Wiikwemkoong last year.
With some of his pieces such as the large and striking “Grandfathers,” Mr. Beaver took a unique approach and constructed the background of his painting to represent his home Alberta landscape while a moose stands tall in a foreground representative of Ontario.
“There is an unspoken understanding from the Elder generation, a closed gate of knowledge to grandparents that can only be mediated by the one generation that directly followed,” he wrote.
Mr. Beaver was immersed in an artistic environment as he grew up. His father was primarily an oil painter but has since begun exploring watercolour techniques as well.
“Watching him create his work inspired my own work. I do tend to create based on his work, using some of his oil techniques,” Mr. Beaver said. References to impressionist brush technique styles are often evident in his work as well.
Mr. Beaver graduated from Debaj’s National Arts Animator Program in 2006. He also studied theatre arts and helps design the sets for Debaj’s stage productions. He offers classes at the Creation Centre focused on drawing, painting, large scenic painting and armature for large figures and puppets.
His artistic talents and interests extend far beyond visual arts as well. Mr. Beaver is a literary storyteller and enjoys penning short stories. He said that for his next exhibit he hopes to explore sculpture work.
Debaj’s visual arts program and many of its community arts programs have come under the steady hand of Mr. Beaver. Through that affiliation he has run classes and hosted other artists in the gallery, often for their first public shows. This is the third show at Debaj that has featured his work.
‘Introspection’ is on display at the Debajehmujig Creation Centre in Manitowaning until April 29, during business hours from 10 am to 5 pm. On the final day, Mr. Beaver said there will be a closing exhibit event featuring live music, a coffee house and open mic session.
