Against the Current, acrylic on canvas, 6’x3’, 2023

“Could we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?”, this quote by Gabrielle Roy accompanies Bill Reid’s art “The Spirit of Haida Gwaii” as it was featured on the $20 note, issued in 2004. I chose to commemorate this banknote because, for me, it represents a triumph of the human spirit because, for a time in this nation, arts and cultural practices for indigenous peoples were banned. Expressions of the spirit through song, dance, story and art have been carried forward through the generations. This painting is a celebration of resilience, innovation, creativity and joy that has persevered beyond the forces of control, oppression and assimilation.