People, plants and animals are all interconnected — Indigenous artist James Groening a.k.a Blue Sky's artworks convey that above all.
With the use of bright colours, spiritual imagery and symbolism, the Cree artist from the Kahkewistahaw First Nation has brought out a series of works that blend traditional stories with contemporary mediums — a mashup that defines the woodland style of art.
A large collection of Groening's woodland art will be on display at the Gallery at Queen’s Park this summer.
The opening reception of the Arts New West show, on Thursday, June 29, will include an artist talk, a performance by Indigenous hoop dancer Eli Gosselin-Rattlesnake and by Juno-nominated Anishinaabe singer and songwriter Leonard Sumner at the Queen’s Park Bandshell.
Groening called the event the “first annual native renaissance in the park,” in an Instagram post; and it celebrates the Burnaby-based artist's new body of works.
Though Groening is now a professional artist, having shown his paintings in several spaces including Vancouver-based Massy Arts Gallery and Skwachàys Lodge Aboriginal Hotel and Gallery, his journey in art started only in September 2021. Prior to that, he worked with a mining equipment manufacturer, as he told the Record in an interview.
It was a specific painting called The Birth of Norval Morrisseau by Ojibway artist Mark Anthony Jacobson that got him hooked to the woodland style of art. So much so that he ended up getting an apprenticeship with Jacobson through a grant from First People’s Cultural Council.
Today, Groening continues to create work in this style, while also teaching others the basics of the technique. He has led various “Turtle Legend” art workshops with the City of New Westminster and United Way BC.
For him, art is an avenue to explain the “traditions, cultures and realities” of his community.
Art, while helping him “revitalize his cultural identity,” is also a way of healing and growth, as per the event press release.
Groening was adopted by his white grandparents during the '60s Scoop and raised in a farm community in Plains Cree Territory (otherwise known as Manitoba), where he grew up disconnected from his Kahkewistahaw roots, as per the release.
It was after meeting his maternal mother and learning of his heritage that he discovered Coast Salish art forms, “specifically, drawing a Haida-style hummingbird that inspired him to pursue a journey of reclaiming his Indigeneity,” the release added.
That discovery led Groening to become the artist that he is today.
“I hope to learn more and contribute to the art world both by creating and teaching those who want to learn," he said in the release.
"I think this is the way forward for our cultural heritage to heal and grow,” he added.
Groening’s works will be on display at the Gallery at Queen's Park till July 30, Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The opening reception is on Thursday, June 29, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
