Spirit of Nature: Looking Beyond Yourself is the title of the miraculous bead dot artwork exhibit on now at the Humboldt and District Gallery. The exhibition features the work of Saskatchewan Métis artist Phyllis Poitras-Jarrett who stopped by the Gallery for a Friday night workshop and an exhibitor’s talk on Saturday.
Poitras-Jarrett grew up on a farm near Last Mountain Lake, and she recalls the encounters with the area’s abundance of wildlife. Her work is heavily influenced by those encounters and by traditional Métis bead work, which often highlights animal and floral designs.
“As a child, I spent hours hiking through the countryside, always on the lookout or anything moving or flying,” Poitras-Jarrett recalled. “It was also fascinating, at that age, finding baby rabbits tucked in grass, running after butterflies, and taking the odd snake home.”
She recalls collecting interesting rocks, insects and the occasional frog that was met with less enthusiasm by her mother. She recalls her mother always adorning the table with a vase of wildflowers.
Growing up in that environment, and with the Métis reverence for the natural world, Poitras-Jarrett was immersed in the sights and sounds of the prairie outdoors. As a self-taught artist, Phyllis turned to these experiences in nature for her inspiration.
She was always fascinated with the intricacies of Metis beadwork, and she absorbed much about the symbolism and iconography of the designs and colours. The bright beads and the floral designs, most often referenced by native prairie wildflowers, captured a symbolic spirit or essence of the animals depicted in those designs.
“I learned about the cycles of nature and the beauty of the symmetry in nature. Growing up on the farm helped me to see how closely interconnected we are with nature. I learned how important a healthy environment is for all living things to thrive. I strived to celebrate this harmony in my arts.”
While pursuing her artwork, Poitras-Jarrett had a long career as a teacher. It was during the years of the pandemic that she elected to retire, and she found time to pursue her work and venture into new territory by emulating the style of Metis bead work in her artistic designs. The effect is remarkable in how it evokes the traditional medium in a tactile and inviting way.
“I’ve always painted beadwork paintings throughout the years, and I seeing how textured the actual beadwork was, I wanted to achieve something like that.”
Through a process of trial and error, Phyllis created a modelling clay with a consistency such that when she applied small beadlike dots to the canvas, the clay would adhere and create the raised texture she was looking for. Once the pattern or design is fashioned with the clay “beads,” the artist must go back and meticulously paint the underlying pathway and each bead to create the remarkable complementary contrasts of colour that bring the images to life.
As another tribute to the original beadwork artistry, a solitary clear, glass bead is embedded in the work, most often hidden.
“The hidden bead represents our human imperfections, because none of us are perfect. The reason it was hidden was to remind us to stay humble through life and to make sure we remember each day as an opportunity to be better.”
One of the delightful challenges of the display is to hunt for the singular glass bead in each of the 15 images in the exhibition. Come down to the Gallery until June 21 to take the glass bead challenge or simply revel in the beauty and intricacy of the beadwork styled images.
Find out more about Phyllis Poitras-Jarret and her work at Metisspiritart.ca/ or on her Facebook and Instagram pages.