Ice Bear’s fine art has evolved over the past 20 years, from a graphic style that combined the forms and shapes of traditional Ojibway art, to a free flowing technique. He is also a sculptor, working large-scale in wood, stone and bronze. Born in Ontario, he lives on the west coast.

Statement: I have not chosen art, the painting and sculpture. It is a task, a responsibility if you will, given me by the Creator from birth. As a small child removed from home and family, speaking no English and placed in foster care in Toronto, drawing was often my primary means of communication. The elders of my people, whom I met for the first time a few years ago, tell me that even as a toddler, I drew. I am, they say, what the Anishinabe call a Dreamer.

Presented by the Cowichan Valley Public Art Gallery Society