How did you get interested in creating art?
I started out of necessity, making things for myself and family, and from there it just evolved.

Talk about your own art training. Where/how did you learn your craft?
Everything I know and do has been handed down by elders. I learned watching my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and my older brother. Also, for the last several years, I have mentored with Ronald J. Paquin, Mackinaw Band.

Who are your biggest influences?
My grandmother was one of my first big influences. She was always making something; she was a black ash basket weaver, beadwork artist, and a great baker. Growing up I spent a great deal of time watching and working with my older brother, Chad. He is a natural born artist and can work in any medium.

What personal experiences have shaped your creative practice?
Throughout my life many things have influenced my experience, the greatest was when I met Lisa Kennedy, who has pushed me to focus more on my art and supports me at every opportunity.

What work are you most proud of that you've created so far?
I am most proud of is my Mishiikinh (Turtle) top hat, this is the first piece of art that I have held on to for myself. 

How has your career developed?
My career started when others saw the regalia pieces I would make for my family, others would approach me to make pieces of regalia for them and it grew from there.

What do you enjoy the most about being an artist?
What I enjoy most as an artist is meeting so many people while participating in an art show or market; I make another friend.  Also, I enjoy teaching, working with students, and it’s a great experience sharing knowledge with others.

What do you find the most challenging about being an artist?
The hardest part of being an artist is selling pieces, it feels like you are letting a piece of yourself go and that’s a challenge after putting so much time and energy into a creation.

Do you have any desired outcomes that you want the viewers to come away with after engaging with your work?
I want people to come away with an appreciation for Indigenous art, especially Ojibwe Woodland art.

How does tradition and identity inform your work?
Tradition and identity inform all of my work, is everything to me, it is my life. I spend a majority of time doing my part to keep traditional art alive and continue to learn and add more skills to carry on and share with the next generation.

How does your work comment on current social or political issues?
The focus of my art centers around beauty and happiness.  I’m probably unusual in that I don’t focus on political or social issues. 

Do you make art full-time, or as you can?
I’m a full-time artist, always working on some form of traditional art and sometimes that means making black ash baskets and birch bark canoes, though more often it is beadwork.

What are some of the greatest challenges you face in making your work?
The most challenging issue in making my art is harvesting scarce resources like black ash trees because they have been decimated by the emerald ash bore beetle. Also, finding birch trees large enough to make a full-size canoe can be difficult too. 

What outcomes would you like to see from this show?
I’m looking forward to more opportunities to create.