Words Jamila Douhaibi
Photos Janis Jean
The main lesson that I took away when speaking with IceBear (and I took away many) is that art is about beauty, but art without substance has little purpose. The two need to come together for a piece to truly convey a message worth hearing.
IceBear was born an artist. He is Chippewa of Nawash (Ojibway Nation) and was born on reserve in Ontario but stolen from his family. He says that he “couldn’t speak” at four years old because before he was taken off the reserve, he was learning his language with the elders. So, he started drawing to communicate. He says he has always been proud of his heritage and understands that his “forefathers fought for the right to live.”
Because truth and reconciliation is now becoming more of an obligatory part of the country, and the Canadian government has admitted to wrongdoing, IceBear believes that the country as a whole is no longer running away from its history. He says “if you’re constantly healing, you’re not living,” and chooses to be empowered through welcoming the people of this country to the “Great Northern Tribe.”
Spirituality and a strong sense of self govern his work and his life. He says that IceBear, which is one of the seven snows, was a name that was given to him. Through this gift, he has a responsibility to represent his people. His murals, paintings and 3D sculptures over the past several decades are a testament to how he listens not only to “what the painting is saying,” but also to how he learns continually through his experiences. IceBear has sold pieces around the world, including pieces before they were finished. His artwork isn’t about mass manufacturing, as he does commissions or limited edition prints of his work.
Currently, IceBear is restoring the NIȽ TU,O (In the Beginning) mural of Coast Salish warriors in a canoe during a storm, located at the corner of Resthaven and Beacon in Sidney. Because he was the original painter of the piece in 1996, he says it’s like “revisiting myself over 25 years ago.” He started the painstaking work of going over the mural piece by piece, trying to save as much of the original paint as possible. He says it’s much easier to paint something from a blank canvas than to restore it. He uses a concentrated formula to get rid of the salt and debris that has ingrained itself into the paint. Water and nesting birds have also caused damage, but IceBear knows what he’s doing and is slowly repairing, prepping and sealing the piece.
He also recently restored “The Ocean” mural on the side of the Fairway Market on First Street. This mural, that he originally painted in 1998, includes four different techniques throughout the piece, speaking to IceBear’s gift as an artist, and interest in challenging himself through his work. And if you find yourself in downtown Victoria on Swift Street, you can see the 3D Four Winds sculpture that IceBear created over 20 years ago. He also mentioned that he’s started working on a truth and reconciliation piece that will include dancing eagles. As an “ambassador to the art itself,” IceBear does a lot of listening in the community. He says that he hears about peoples’ loves and losses, so that it’s not only what the art is telling him, but also how he conveys the feelings of others that he interacts with.
Through everything IceBear has seen and created, he sees how the challenges that we face, and our culture, change and shape everything that we do. He leaves me with the answer to a question that he often receives about what he paints; as he points to his heart he says: “I paint the blood – I paint what’s in here.”
www.icebearstudio.com
