Banff National Park Gallery of Fine Art and Photography

Aaron Paquette - Biography and Artist's Statement

Artist's Statement - Landscapes and Icons 2009

What is sacred?

For many people it is the images and concepts found in places of worship. For others it is the land around us, the sky above us, and the life within us. At some point, and it's not too far to seek, these concepts intertwine and become one. Here is a series of paintings from the last 18 months of my life, as well as earlier works from my private collection. They represent a journey that has seen profound and life changing events and experiences. I have had to draw heavily on faith, on love, and on a deeper and more abiding belief in things greater than myself than I ever have before.

It was in this giving away of my own sense of strength that I found a solid place on which to rest my body and renew my weary soul.

You know the buzz and sway of an empty field, wild and gentle at the same time, and the soft chuckle of water on the shore? The patient and restful silence of the mountain as it contemplates the eons? These are where my peace was found. This beautiful world has given me joy. I pray that these icons that shape our subconscious will stay in my heart, and that they will touch yours.

Biography

Look for Patricia Myers' article "Aaron Paquette's search for art and beauty" in the Fall 2008 Issue Legacy Magazine (p.39-42). See Legacy Magazine

Aaron Paquette is one of Canada’s most dynamic First Nation’s artists. He takes us to places of magic, where sites and symbols speak to us of meanings that venture into our dreams. His work does not fail to excite your imagination and offer new ways of thinking.

“I am an artist. In my paintings, I seek to nurture a relationship with the viewer. I try to use colors that are calming, but also fresh and exciting…In each painting I try to include a story that is meaningful to me and encourages discussion. I hope that my works can act as part of a catalyst for greater understanding…My work almost always features an animal, totem, or aspect of nature in order to show our relationships with the physical and spiritual worlds that surround us."

Aaron Paquette, who descends from Cree, Cherokee, and Norwegian backgrounds, is a younger artist with immense talent. Furthermore, he is an educator and community builder. Aaron is intensely interested in making connections, observing interactions, and then translating that knowledge to a visual form: his paintings. His earlier apprenticeships in stained glass and goldsmithing are clearly evident by way of the bold, distinct color and clear forms found in his works on canvas and paper.

He is represented in the Art Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and many private collections in Canada, the United States, and Europe.

Born May 16, 1974

Education

1999-2001 Stained Glass Artist, Demes Art Glass Studio (under Heinz Demes), Hill Spring, Alberta

2000-2002 Goldsmith,

Curating

2006 Ancestral Bonds,

Solo Exhibitions

2009 Landscapes and Icons, Willock and Sax Gallery, Banff

2008 Half-Breed Mythology Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition

Aniti Anemos, Willock and Sax Gallery, Banff

2007 Trickster Bearclaw Gallery, Edmonton Alberta

The Mandolin Exhibit Mandolin Books & Coffee, Edmonton, Alberta

2006 Inauguration Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Kaasa Gallery Space

The Dance of the Deep Mystery Bearclaw Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

2005 Earth Portraits Bearclaw Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

2004 Awake in the Earth Bearclaw Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

2003 Beathing New Life Bearclaw Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

Group Exhibitions

2006 Talking Pictures,

2005 Waniskak – Kanawapatamohk - Acimohk, Art Gallery of Alberta

2002 Past Links Present,

Art From The Unknown 5,

2001 Ammolite,

Art From The Unknown 4,

2000 Art From The Unknown 3,

1999 ArtSpace: 1999,

Art From The Unknown 2,

1998 Regenerance,

Art From The Unknown,

Reviews / Articles / Interviews (print, electronic and video)

2007 Cover,

“Paquette Plays The Trickster With The Past and Present”
Darren Zenko, Vue Weekly, March 1-7

“Trickster by Trade”
Michael Brown, Edmonton Sun (Special Insert, Aboriginal Alberta), Mar. 1

“Trickster Emerges on Canvas”
Gilbert Bouchard, Edmonton Journal,

2006 “Drawing on the Divine”
Clint Buehler, Spirit Magazine, Summer/Fall

Cover / Article, “Aaron Paquette”
Staff Writer, Alberta Native News, May

Interview
Western Standard Radio,

2002 "Self Taught Artist's Efforts Paying Off"
Heather Andrews Miller, Alberta Native News,

"Cultural Heritage of Canada's Indigenous Peoples"
Aboriginal Planet,

1999 Interview
Suni Sandhu, A-Channel Wired,

Interview
Graham Neil, CFRN Arts and Entertainment, December

1998 Feature
Kimberly Carroll, A-Channel Wired,

Visual Arts
Aubrey Chau, See Magazine,

1996 Interview / Feature
Access Television,

1995 "ALL WORK -- AND ALL PLAY; Street performers work their magic on Fringe crowds"
Sharon Lindores, Edmonton Journal,

Publication of Images

2006 Colour Reproduction, “Modern Art”

Edwina Madill, House & Garden

Summer

2005 Colour Reproduction, “Arts & Finds”

Best Home, Alberta

Winter

2002 Colour Reproduction by permission

Alberta Teacher's Association Magazine

June 20

1992 Cover Illustration

Sunia Magazine
(Seminar on the United Nations and International Affairs)

September

Teaching

2007 The Story Within (Aboriginal Student Workshop)

Edmonton Public School Board, hosted by Amiskwaciy Academy

February 12 – 23

2004 – present Royal Conservatory of Music, Learning Through The Arts

St. Albert Catholic School Board, Vital Grandin Elementary

1999 Art as a Career

St. Joseph's Catholic High School