Jack Poole Plaza
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Jack Poole Plaza
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Ovila has always wanted to represent where he is from, his culture, and his community. Learning more about the ancestral elements of Coast Salish art history helps him find ways to show who he is and where he’s from.
“Art feels vital to me. And being able to share that passion I have is important to me. This tradition of work, and this beauty, is so necessary for our culture and healing.”
This year, we are moving back closer to nature. Like the graceful birds that take to the skies, and the steady sun that brings us life, let’s imagine ourselves lost in the beautiful, natural world all around us, and let’s find ourselves facing warmth and hope.
Littlechild received a diploma in art and design from Red Deer College in 1984, and a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, in 1988. His mixed-media paintings are often socially charged in response to political movements, societal concerns such as reconciliation and reclamation, as well as personal history. George has exhibited in galleries around the world, and his art is in several important collections.
"I am committed to righting the wrongs that First Nations peoples have endured by creating art that focuses on cultural, social and political injustices. As an artist, educator and cultural worker, my goal is a better world. It is my job to show the pride, strength and beauty of First Nations people and cultures, and contribute to the betterment of mankind."
This year, we are moving back closer to nature. Like the graceful birds that take to the skies, and the steady sun that brings us life, let’s imagine ourselves lost in the beautiful, natural world all around us, and let’s find ourselves facing warmth and hope.
His grandfather’s feet are a legend in the tribe. He can cross several hills barefoot and go back and forth to the hunting ground in a day, just to feed and clothe the family. “He has always been the spirit of the mountain that I adored.”
Walis Labai’s life philosophies: let go of excess desire, live with contentment, and do good deeds. Take a step back and look at the horizon, choose only the bright side of life.
Walis Labai’s list of good things that will bring you infinite inspiration:
The blue sky and white clouds on the eastern coastline
The bright moon hanging like a tulle over the picturesque sea
travel travel travel travel travel travel travel travel travel travel travel travel all over
sparking of flames and drifting of smoke
He is someone who likes to joke, with an optimistic attitude towards his life. While polio has made many aspects of his life inconvenient, through conversing with him, one can feel the strength and freedom in his every breath. He describes his deformed limbs as similar to the hundred-foot snake, and so his studio is named “The Sky of the Hundred-foot Snake Studio.” This is where he immerses himself, painting quietly for most of the day.
His persistence overcomes the limitations of the body, and on his own he has developed a style that conveys the profound warmth of Paiwan culture and the ancestral spirits. His paintings not only present a sense of visual delicacy, but also tension and mystery, leading people to explore their own hearts and souls.
Two different atmospheres and perspectives—
One, to cherish culture; one, to betray culture…
When black and white are stained with colour
when tradition is replaced by modernity
what will you leave behind?
Culture changes with the times
the footprints of the ancestors
are gradually forgotten.
In this era of rapid change
this time-weary heart
how much longer can it last?
And the young at heart
how much pressure can you bear?
I am bewildered
sighing softly in the night;
Because tradition and modernity
there is no right or wrong.
Only the beauty of traditional culture
will eventually be taken by the wave of modernity
to a new place entirely
And a few more
footprints of the ancestors will be left behind
for the people in the future to remember.
Ovila has always wanted to represent where he is from, his culture, and his community. Learning more about the ancestral elements of Coast Salish art history helps him find ways to show who he is and where he’s from.
“Art feels vital to me. And being able to share that passion I have is important to me. This tradition of work, and this beauty, is so necessary for our culture and healing.”
This year, we are moving back closer to nature. Like the graceful birds that take to the skies, and the steady sun that brings us life, let’s imagine ourselves lost in the beautiful, natural world all around us, and let’s find ourselves facing warmth and hope.
One day, he thought that he wanted to merge the garden spirit with some of his favourite people, alive and passed, so he created The Garden series. This particular piece honours his late Cree Auntie Helen (Littlechild) Omeasoo, who left the reserve in Alberta and lived in Burnaby, BC, for years.
Nature embraces us just as we embrace nature. In a garden grown with love, we find the vitality of family, living on and continuing to grow under the sun.
Littlechild received a diploma in art and design from Red Deer College in 1984, and a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, in 1988. His mixed-media paintings are often socially charged in response to political movements, societal concerns such as reconciliation and reclamation, as well as personal history. George has exhibited in galleries around the world, and his art is in several important collections.
"I am committed to righting the wrongs that First Nations peoples have endured by creating art that focuses on cultural, social and political injustices. As an artist, educator and cultural worker, my goal is a better world. It is my job to show the pride, strength and beauty of First Nations people and cultures, and contribute to the betterment of mankind."
His grandfather’s feet are a legend in the tribe. He can cross several hills barefoot and go back and forth to the hunting ground in a day, just to feed and clothe the family. “He has always been the spirit of the mountain that I adored.”
Walis Labai’s life philosophies: let go of excess desire, live with contentment, and do good deeds. Take a step back and look at the horizon, choose only the bright side of life.
Walis Labai’s list of good things that will bring you infinite inspiration:
The blue sky and white clouds on the eastern coastline
The bright moon hanging like a tulle over the picturesque sea
travel travel travel travel travel travel travel travel travel travel travel travel all over
sparking of flames and drifting of smoke
Two different atmospheres and perspectives—
One, to cherish culture; one, to betray culture…
When black and white are stained with colour
when tradition is replaced by modernity
what will you leave behind?
Culture changes with the times
the footprints of the ancestors
are gradually forgotten.
In this era of rapid change
this time-weary heart
how much longer can it last?
And the young at heart
how much pressure can you bear?
I am bewildered
sighing softly in the night;
Because tradition and modernity
there is no right or wrong.
Only the beauty of traditional culture
will eventually be taken by the wave of modernity
to a new place entirely
And a few more
footprints of the ancestors will be left behind
for the people in the future to remember.
He is someone who likes to joke, with an optimistic attitude towards his life. While polio has made many aspects of his life inconvenient, through conversing with him, one can feel the strength and freedom in his every breath. He describes his deformed limbs as similar to the hundred-foot snake, and so his studio is named “The Sky of the Hundred-foot Snake Studio.” This is where he immerses himself, painting quietly for most of the day.
His persistence overcomes the limitations of the body, and on his own he has developed a style that conveys the profound warmth of Paiwan culture and the ancestral spirits. His paintings not only present a sense of visual delicacy, but also tension and mystery, leading people to explore their own hearts and souls.
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