Feature artist for April 17: Jason Carter

(ANNews) – The brilliant painting on the cover of this month’s Alberta Native News is a detail from one of the new acrylics by Jason Carter, an exciting contemporary artist whose work is currently on display at Bearclaw Gallery in Edmonton in a wonderful exhibit entitled “The Adventures of the Curious Bear in the Red Canoe.”

The exhibit, which features new works in both acrylics on canvas and stone sculptures, opens on April 22 at 1 pm and continues at the Bearclaw Gallery until May 3, 2017. The artist will be in attendance on April 22 from 1-4 pm and the event is timed to coincide with the 124 Street Spring Gallery Walk in Edmonton held on April 22 and 23.

Jason, a member of the Little Red River Cree Nation describes the exhibit as follows: “This series of paintings and carvings are an homage to place and spirit, and to this amazing country we call Canada.  An adventurous, brave and very curious bear sets out to explore this vast country and meet its many wonderful inhabitants. Brilliant and bold colours on canvas depict places that we’ve been to or dream about seeing.  These paintings are accompanied by a series of carvings in Canadian Stone, reminding us of the common ground we stand upon as we celebrate Canada this year.”

Jason Carter is one of Canada’s most accomplished contemporary Aboriginal visual artists, celebrated for both his paintings and his carvings. He had a solo show at Alberta House on Alberta Day at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. His work has been acquired into dozens of private collections including The Government of Alberta, The City of Edmonton, AFA, Rogers Media, Syncrude, The Shaw Art Collection, The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.  He has also had several exciting public shows, including the Royal Alberta Museum, Art Gallery of Alberta, The Art Gallery of Calgary and the Indian and Northern Affairs Public Art Display in Ottawa, Ontario.

“Being an artist who divides his time equally painting and carving, I have been gifted the opportunity to express myself through two mediums, stone and canvas, and both I approach with humour and optimism,” explains Jason. “In the world we live in, there is much to be cynical about, but I have found an outlet that I gather much joy and light from, and am so fortunate to be able to pass that joy on. As an Aboriginal man from the Little Red River Cree Nation, I gather much inspiration from the stories passed on by elders within my community, stories that have evolved and changed, some documented, some not, but the essence of these characters are passed on through the years. As an artist, I am inspired by the essence of some of these characters and then, in keeping with the tradition of my indigenous roots, create new stories filled with wonder and morals, and bring them to life through my chosen medium, canvas and stone with written word.”

Jason has been commissioned by the Art Gallery of Alberta, The Canada Council for the Arts, The Alberta Foundation of the Arts, The Edmonton Arts Council, The Works International Visual Arts Society, The Society of Manufacturing Engineers of Canada, Winter Light Festival, Syncrude Canada, The Government of Canada, The Edmonton International Airport, The Wood Buffalo Regional Municipality and The City of Calgary.

“Bear at Rest” by Jason Carter.

He has created permanent murals for the Amiskwaskahegan (Beaver Hills Park) in Edmonton and was one of three artists selected for the LRT/SOUTH Extension beautification project. He was celebrated as ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ at the Mayor’s Evening of the Arts in Edmonton as well as Avenue Magazines Top 40 Under 40. Jason illustrated his first Children’s book April 2011, “WHO IS BOO: The Terrific Tales of One Trickster Rabbit” inspired by his first carving of a rabbit which he called ‘Nanabozho’ (based on the Ojibwe trickster character). Since then, “WHO IS BOO 2: The Continued Adventures” has been published as well as “WHO IS BOO 3” and in 2015, a special exhibit entitled “World of Boo” was held at the BMO World of Creativity Children’s Gallery at the Art Gallery of Alberta.

Jason also completed an 18-paining series for the Art Gallery of Alberta part of the T-REX Program called ‘Urban Animals’ which has been touring Alberta, and he published a children’s book of the same name.

Jason Carter is currently represented by The Bearclaw Gallery located at 10403 124 Street in Edmonton – a well-known and highly regarded Canadian First Nations art dealer and gallery. Over the last three decades, the Bearclaw Gallery has established solid relationships with First Nations artists from across Canada and has proudly promoted Canadian First Nations and Inuit art and artists to buyers both at home and internationally.  For more information, visit bearclawgallery.com.