dijon

Where are we now?

We are in a courtyard at the University of Winnipeg. It’s an interesting place. I’ve never gone to school here but I’ve been here a lot. I’ve actually had artwork in here. My auntie had her PHD and she was a professor here years ago before she passed away. So I remember coming here as a kid and visiting her.

What kind of food did you grow up eating?

I grew up eating a lot of wild meats and vegetables. My grandpa was a trapper/hunter and my grandma had a really large vegetable garden - carrots, potatoes, onions, things like that. We were so far up North, there was no plumbing at the time, electricity was like a new thing so we grew up with outhouses and wood stoves to heat the house. I don’t want to say that’s where my heart is, but that is what feels like home to me … eating homegrown stuff. And Stella’s sometimes reminds me of that. It’s almost like homestyle cooking. That and Salisbury house. 

Do you get a chance to eat like that now?

The odd time a friend or relative will bring some wild meat from up North or even wild rice - that’s always nice. My mom knows I appreciate it, and people bring her wild meats once in a while so she’ll bring it here - cook it at my sister’s and bring me a plate. I haven’t been able to hunt that much in the past few years. I usually hunt myself - ducks, geese, deer, whatever.

What was your high school look?

It’s like exactly what I’m wearing now. I started skateboarding in high school so I had the early 2000s skateboard style. The big shoes, DC shirt, shaggy hair with a cap, whatever pants or shorts. It was nothing special. 

I think skateboarding saved a lot of people from bad high school looks?

I would try to wear skateboard brand clothes that looked different. Like I had this DC shirt with a pink screen print on it - I had a purple Zoo York shirt - things people weren’t wearing - people were scared to wear ‘girl colours’ back then. I saw it as different and I wanted to be that. Pink shoelaces, whatever. I try to make it my own even though I dress like a skater. To say I had my own style - well all my friends would wear basketball stuff.

There is a lot more focus on individual style in skateboarding...  

Even how you push on a skateboard - everyone has their own style of doing it. It’s like an artist finding their own style of painting and interpreting, it’s the same way with a skateboard. It brings out this super unique personality and style. A more experienced skater can always tell when a person is trying to have a certain look - with how they push or what they wear. You can see how it’s replicated from professional skateboarders, you can also see the ones that are just doing it how they do it.

In what ways has skateboarding influenced your life?

I didn’t realize it at the time, but skateboarding was a way to get my mind off things and think clearly. It’s so self expressive - it helped translate my artwork to be that way. I found when I would be painting it was that same feeling as being on a skateboard as far as getting away and it just being you by yourself and not thinking too critically. With a skateboard, you’re just riding around by yourself doing tricks. You’re not thinking about too many things. Oftentimes I think when people are starting out painting, they’re too concerned about doing things right - doing things wrong. Making things look a certain way. Skateboarding kind of helped me get away from that - and allowed me to just do things without a preconceived notion of what it would look like. Just do it depend on how I was feeling. 

How are you able to do so many things? Art, skating, photography, carpentry, hunting, design...

If I had an interest in something - I would just do it. I think a lot of people are scared of getting into new things because they aren’t sure how to go about it. I kind of just did things that interested me and loved from a young age. When you fast-forward 20 years, all of a sudden you have skills in all these areas - and didn’t mean to. That’s sort of how it worked out for me.

We moved around a lot when I was a kid. My mom was a teacher and I stopped counting when we moved thirty times. Thirty times. When you move around that much, as a kid you don’t really build solid friendships, you don’t really stay connected with people. A lot of time spent as a child and into my teen years was alone, doing my own thing by myself. I guess a lot of that time was spent learning a thing or two. I didn’t really gain solid friendships until the later years in high school. Then after high school, I Iost those friends again. They were entering the partying social life stuff that I never took interest in. I never drank, I never smoked, I never did drugs. So again I was by myself for a number of years. 

It wasn’t until maybe 2010 when I started getting out there more and introducing myself. It wasn’t until 2012 until I really started making an effort to make friends, connect with people. A lot of time spent alone was time spent working on skills. When you’re with friends you're not spending time painting, building - stuff like that. 

There’s nothing wrong with being totally social and building those skills. The other side of the coin is, I never built those skills. How to be a friend, make friends and maintain friendships. These are things I had to learn in my mid-twenties. I’m in my mid thirties and now know how to be a friend. Better late than never. *lol*

When did you decide to become a full time artist?

In 2015 I was laid off work, and found this cool venue space for $100. I did a solo art show and the amount of support and people who came through with only two weeks of promotion was overwhelming and helped me make the decision.

What would you tell your younger self if he appeared in front of you?

Invest in Apple computers... 

I would also say don’t worry about what others think. Just do your own thing. You can’t control people’s actions, you can only control your reactions.

What medium excites you as an artist?

It has and probably always will be spray paint. It’s quick, it dries fast and you can literally paint on every surface. If you make a mistake you just gotta wait 10 seconds. A lot of movement goes into it too - it’s like doing aerobics. It gets tiresome because you’re using your whole body. 

Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming trip?

On July 20th, I’m going to bike 780km North up the #6 HWY, from my current residence in Winnipeg, to The Pimicikamak Cree Nation (Cross Lake, MB.). I’ve named the trip NeeKeeWan, which is Cree for ‘going home.’ The trip is four days, camping overnight for three nights. Half of the trip is remote - no cell service or places of business, gas stations or anything like that. There will be some survival techniques used which I’m already used to. Being in solidarity in the middle of the woods with no phone service...I’m used to this kind of thing.

I think I have everything ready and am super excited about it. It’s been a long time coming. A lot of people are requesting to come with me but I tell them I have to do this one alone as part of my journey in healing and my spirituality.