Colleen Gray

My ancestry comes from the Mik'maq/Acadian people of New Brunswick and from the Irish folks across the big pond. I am capital “i” Indigenous. Finding out about my heritage didn't change anything about how I draw or paint – ink and paint don’t care about these things. But I do like the fact that my ancestry hails from a place where they know how to love big, live well and be kind.  

My art: I free-paint/free-draw when I work, meaning, I often start with an empty head and paint until something begins to connect and develop. I paint from my personal experiences and observations obtained from living Indigenously in the best way I can. I use teachings from numerous First Nations wisdom keepers, ceremonial people, Elders and friends gleaned over a span of 30 years of working at walking on The Good Red Road - not an easy task, but very fulfilling. 

My great joy and artistic passion lies in ground mineral based water colour on synthetic paper. 

Many traditional stories and representatives of the spirit world are prominently featured in my work because they live in me and with me every single day. Each drawing takes you on a journey into the visual voice of an ancient time and offers a sense of having learned something new after discovering the interesting stories that accompany the work. At times, I move deeply into the work and teachings, striving to bring forward a whispered bit of wisdom or a flash of something barely seen in the mind's eye. My work often reflects the state of our only home, the Earth. It echoes the plight of my brothers and sisters who struggle with racism and conflict nearly every single day. We must learn to live together in harmony and without hatred or we will never truly live at all. Kindness is key to this.