Interview by Hannah Luppe
Kristy Cameron, a teacher and visual artist, was born and raised in Atikokan, Ontario, the Canoe Capital of Canada. Being raised surrounded by the beauty of the natural world has given her endless subjects to paint, as she observes and researches this environment and its’ inner connections.
As a Métis artist and descendant of numerous fur trade employees, she often incorporates Indigenous and historical content into her art. With this history and culture, we often see spiritual weavings throughout her pieces, which evoke sensations such as, mystery, energy, contentment, and joyfulness. Viewers often contemplate saying, “Every time I look at these paintings, I see something new!” The bright, bold colours are templates for more intricate images that unfurl deeper meanings within meanings.
Kristy’s art can be found in private and public collections, such as, the Archives of Ontario, the Kenora Justice Centre, the Canadian Museum of History, and various school boards and social agencies. She has collaborated with various authors to illustrate books and stories, such as ‘The Seven Sacred Teachings’ and ‘Meet Your Family’. These books have been highly used by educators nationwide.
Hi Kristy! Thank you so much for joining us here at Young Adulting. We’re so excited to have you! Can you tell us a bit about how being a visual artist impacts how you experience the world?
As an artist, I constantly desire to create. My mind is always recognizing elements in the world around me. My mind slows down to ‘smell the roses.’ In nature, I notice elements such as patterns, designs, colours, texture, proportions, movement, and contrasts. I connect these elements to how I could represent this in art. Additionally, my curiosity brings me to research plants, animals, ecosystems as such, to learn their connections to each other.
You have a beautiful collection of work that spans many different mediums. How would you describe your creative process for illustrating picture books? Does it differ to your process for the work you create for galleries or collections?
My creative process differs from the work I create for myself vs the work I do for illustrations.
For illustrations, I read through the story to get a sense of the theme, then I make small sketches of each page or 2-page spread. Some images are easier to imagine and create than others. The more descriptive the text is, the easier it is to create an image. Otherwise I do more interpreting and perhaps more research.
For my own work, I often research topics I’m currently interested in, as well as, learning about and experimenting with new materials. I like to work with mixed media, which isn’t something that always lends well to my illustrations, so the images I create for myself are often based on my original style with new twists. I love learning how to use new materials and then using them to portray various messages.
Your work with Kevin Locke in The Seventh Direction is absolutely stunning. I particularly love the use of colour in the spread depicting the first ray of light (pp. 11 – 12 in The Seventh Direction, “Pg 6” on your website). Can you speak a bit about the significance of colour in telling an effective story?
Colours help to exude the emotions of the pictures and text. Colours bring stories to life. Dark contexts can be portrayed with darker colours or shades, whereas lighter content can utilize brighter colours.
On this particular page, I paired movement with colour to create pops of light against darker colours. This helped the light stand out and become more effective. In general, I like to create images that evoke positive feelings, and that are sometimes powerful as well. Thus, I tend to use a colourful happy palette.
What advice might you pass on to a young visual artist trying to find their style?
To find your own style, I would suggest experimenting with different materials to find what you enjoy working with and try various styles to find where your passion lies. A fun way to do this is through taking art workshops. Other people can be inspiring and supportive.
Who are some creatives—including but not limited to visual artists—who have inspired you lately?
I find inspiration everywhere I look, especially nature, since that is what I depict most. I love creating mixed media pieces, so I am inspired by a multitude of other mixed media artists, particularly fiber and textural artists. I tend to go through stages of interests, so whatever materials or styles I’m interested in working with at a particular time, draws me to find inspirations from those artists working in that field.
Hannah Luppe is currently completing her MA in Children’s Literature at UBC. She is the managing editor of Young Adulting Review.
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