Christi Belcourt

In the 1800’s, the Métis began creating large quantities of beaded items to support their families and, because of this, we became known as “the flower beadwork people.” Flower beadwork is one of the artistic legacies left to us by our ancestors. What began in 1993 as a simple attempt to transfer beadwork aesthetics onto canvas with paint has become the artistic journey I’ve been on since. This journey has led me into the depths of understanding my own culture, our worldview, and our spirituality as it relates to the natural world. This painting is called This Painting is a Mirror because it reflects back to the viewer all the beauty that is already within them. We are not separate from anything, we are born connected to the earth, with the capacity to love, to be kind, to be generous, to be gentle. As Odawa Elder Wilfred Peltier taught, "Everything we need to know is already inside of us."

– Christi Belcourt