About Me - A Biography of Sorts

Hi everyone! Just wanted to post a bit about myself. Feel free to ask questions, too.

I am an Ojibwe or Ahnishnaabe artist living in Edmonton, Alberta. Having grown up in northern Manitoba, I gained an appreciation of nature and spent much of my free time drawing and experimenting with various media. In my early adulthood I began to explore painting, and eventually developed my own style of Woodlands artwork. I enjoy the freedom of the abstract style and creating images with sharply contrasting colors or smooth blends. I have also been inspired by Inuit soapstone sculpture and folklore. I'm actually inspired by a lot of stuff, but mostly nature.

Northern Canada inspires much of my work. As a child, my family often went on fishing excursions, woodcutting, and explorations of Canada's pristine wilderness. I self-studied animals in great detail by reading every book I could find at the local library as a child, and have a great love for birds. In recent years and thanks to COVID, I've gotten into hiking and camping with my husband. We really enjoy checking out new places and being in nature instead of just skimming the surface as one often ends up doing when just driving or traveling. I still love traveling though, and seeing new places and learning about the history and culture of the people living there.

I have painted for over 20 years now, and sold artwork to locations across the globe and have participated in various art shows in Alberta and Manitoba. I prefer to sell my art individually so I can enjoy meet the people and hear about what they like about my art, but I enjoy the virtual modes as well.

I live with my husband, Lyndon, and my black cat, Maho, in Edmonton, Alberta.

Day after the Snowstorm & the University of Alberta farms

So yesterday I decided to ride my bike to work, in spite of the huge snowstorm outside. The wind was horrible, and whipped the snow into my eyes. I was quite proud of myself for making it to work, pretty much on time.

By the time I got there snow had frozen in large chunks in my hair and my snowpants were soaked. Halfway through the ride I was rewarded with a gorgeous view of some snow-covered budding branches overhanging a path. It was beautiful.

Just relisted one painting "Into the Fields" on Etsy. It's one of my favorite scenes of the University of Alberta farms, with the distant city buildings removed.

This tree is beside a small field where I used to practice tai chi on sunny afternoons in summer. It can be viewed here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/37899836/into-the-fields-5x5-inch-chinese-ink

Nov 24, 2020 update: Ah, very sorry, it looks like the spot where I had the listing got updated to a different commissioned piece I had painted for someone. I still remember the painting and I have it somewhere in my collections. If you're interested, I can post an image. Oh, and if you like the cat painting I still paint commissions, so feel free to ask.

2021 update: I added an image. I also made a video about the University of Alberta farms and I reminisce about the days that I used to trek across it to school.

In the video I included the pieces of art I created that were inspired by various views of the farms. I also learned about the history of one of my favourite buildings, the Horse Barn.

New Blog! A blog about being an Ojibwe artist

So I have started my very first blog. I have been meaning to start one for quite a while, and have wanted to write about my artwork, as well as the things that inspire me in life.

Currently my profession allows me to travel to various areas of Alberta, some places which I would never visit normally, so I would like to share some of my thoughts about these places.

I am an aboriginal artist based in Edmonton, Alberta. I am Ojibwe, and was born in Thompson, Manitoba, so I have a great fondness for northern Canada: boggy places, skinny trees, sunsets, and ravens. I started painting almost 10 years ago now, and enjoy it immensely as it is a good way to relax.

I love the abstract element of the Ojibwe or Woodlands style, as when I painted in a "realistic" manner I found I could never get things absolutely perfect.

I sell my artwork on my website, http://www.ojibwe-art.ca and on Etsy: http://www.taibossigai.etsy.com and the profits from my artwork is donated to various causes that I believe in - mostly The Nature Conservancy and Edmonton Humane Society, but also other organizations too.