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Lo s o. hoi. + 4 2e 4 i?,':g‘ 5> ~â€" & S ymbohsm « e ce L y hk s j U B f 39 A * : [Â¥ rt 2 AAG KE V i 1N 2 ¢ 7 \NANY A {/ B j k Iy" * 3 W continued from page 1 \ Al | ‘He prefers to talk to children about his work. He | ( 4 [ finds that adults want to question everything and y R | argue what it‘s like to experience racism. He has had . h plenty of that but refuses to allow cynicism to affect J ® | his work. His father once told him to keep his anger [ e ~ by his heart, so that he knew where it was and could u+ cench f ) « contain it. f i. w | | He‘s dealt with some criticism by ignoring it. When } o \ + he first faced it he es ’:,fr 2 | realized that the berson making the criticism f s didn‘t know what Steve was 5 trying to do. 6 He recognizes that his work is like a catalog of his ; life. His art is coming through as lessons he has \ f learned. He gets a design in his mind, and as he is | [ <@ U working on it, it grows. The symbolism is not â€" 6 f ba f i : traditional, and this confuses some First Nations ' ue * â€" cartists who view his work. It comes from both C S ts ie i cultures. | d .4 ’ E_ A\ He moved to Colborne in March with his daughter T# I% P Tara, returning to the area where he grew up. 1 _ oooeeiiee The fourâ€"artist show with Floyd Kuptana, s Prore ay Bor Owen â€" Ishaugtug Michael, and Harry Kataquapit opens Steve Hearns stands beside one of the paintings that may be on qlsplay : September 13 at the Colborne Art Gallery. at the Colborne Art Gallery starting on Sept. 18. All of hISI works include * social and philosophical messages displayed through the imagery ‘ S Y 11 b 1 ] ' 11 1 I ’ New show starts Sept. 13 _ at Golborne Art Gallery yru/o2 reading him Bury My Heart at By Bos Owen Wounded Knee at bedtime. Much echronicie@linkd:het of the philosophy that Steve now | _ Using black and white acrylic, lives by came from the many talks artist Steve Hearns creates art they had when he was young. with a message. Using symbolism At age six, Steve knew about he tells stories and put forward Red Cloud and Chief Joseph was lessons in nonâ€"denominational his hero. Twenty years ago he morality. stopped using colour in his work, The First Nations artist (Steve relying on contrast to convey the is a member of the Saulteaux story. He feels that it allows the ~Ojibwa band) actually sees himâ€" _ viewer to focus on the symbolism. self as a bridge between the white When he first started painting and native cultures. His father | he reworked his ideas in pen and was raised off the Alderville reserâ€" ink, a lengthy process. He‘s cut vation after Steve‘s grandmother that down considerably by using a had him. She was first nations but computer. One of his recent works her husband was white. At that contains three panels, depicting time, they were not allowed to bast, present and future. It deals . remain on the reservation. with letting go and looking forâ€" Steve‘s mother was raised on a â€" ward. This is accomplished using reservation at Long Plain, Maniâ€" cormorants and symboli¢c ele: toba. She was a child of the resiâ€" ments in the background. dential school system andâ€"gave up For the past 10 years, Steve has her status in the 1950s for a few â€" been creating his work at Elliot dollars and the right to vote in Lake. Much of his work has been Canadian elections. At the time, used in an awareness program he she was convinced it was better to developed to teach children in join the white world. schools about the First Nation culâ€" Tronically, it was Steve‘s father / ture and values. More than 2,500 who imparted much of his First children have been, through the & Nations culture to his son. program. Steve remembers his father continued on page 2 â€"