Each year when I research to determine which artists we will study (we study 3 a year), I'm always on the search to find diverse artists as well as female artists. I love classical artwork and want my children to be familiar with the famous artists. But I also want them to appreciate diverse artwork, and as a mama to all daughters and one who claims she wants to be an artist, I want them to be familiar with women who create beautiful artwork!
I actually stumbled upon Betty Albert as I was looking at a website where Indigenous peoples' sold their creations. I was enamored immediately, and went on a search for more of her artwork. She has so many beautiful pieces that it was difficult to choose just a few to study.
Bio:
Betty Albert is a member of the Cree Nation who currently lives in Winnipeg, Canada and runs Wabimeguil Art Studio with her husband. She was adopted and raised in Northern Ontario, but later reconnected with her father. It was time that she spent on Vancouver Island that inspired her interests in art and spirituality, and she has worked to improve her skills ever since then. Wabimeguil, which means White Feather, is the name her Indigenous father gave her. (Look in her paintings for white feathers!) It was her father who encouraged her to be an artist.
Dreams play an important part of her life and her work, as they do for many Cree people. Betty's dream people are faceless, and this is reflected in her artwork. In her artwork, she uses vibrant colors, inviting us to look at Creation in a new way.
Some of the main themes in Betty's artwork are nature, the moon, peace, identity, healing, women, and spirituality. One technique she uses in her paintings is layering paint onto canvases over time until different textures emerge, portraying density akin to growth patterns seen naturally occurring on trees or other structures found outdoors. She also experiments often in mixing colors.
Betty says, “I have gratitude that I’m able to do what I do, I’ve been given that opportunity to create and I feel it’s my job to bring as much beauty in other people’s lives as I possibly can. I intend to live the rest of my life using that formula.”
Artist Prints PDF: Click here to download a collection of Betty Albert's artwork to do your own study.
Resources: The Toronto Star, Wabimeguil Art Studio, Sa-Cinn Native Ent, Ltd.
Note: Betty Albert's artwork can be bought in many places (some linked above), including art prints, postcards, calendars, mugs, etc. If you love her artwork, consider supporting her and buying her artwork!
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