by Janet Smellie
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 11/97) - Hearing the news that his most popular artist had claimed yet another award didn't surprise Kenneth Huss, the proprietor of Nor-Art International.

Archie Beaulieu, whose work Huss has marketed through the Internet for almost two years now, won the People's Choice Award at the recent Great Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik.

No stranger to recognition, Beaulieu also shared the Artists' Choice Award at the festival with Helene Croft, a Fort Smith artist that Huss also represents.

"He deserves this, they both do," said Huss during a tour of his second annual exhibit of Nor-Art offerings now showing in Yellowknife.

Beaulieu's work has been sold extensively throughout North America, his unique style inspired by stories and legends told to him by his grandmother. A resident of Rae-Edzo, Beaulieu prefers to "lay close to home despite his popularity, to be with his wife and children."

Huss started Nor-Art two years ago to help promote Beaulieu's work on the Internet. The business has now grown to triple the inventory and not only include dozens of Beaulieu's latest but also works by Aklavik carver, Robert Buckle and Croft, whose work is being compared to Bern Will Brown's.

Another big seller for Nor-Art is the inventory of the colorful hand-painted silk scarves by Yellowknife artist Wendy Lee.

Huss not only has helped Lee market her work but he also fell in love with her. The couple were married last spring and a child is due any day now.

"It's a busy time," he laughs, as he crates up an order to be shipped all the way to Houston.

Huss, who's training is in marketing, says unlike other gallery managers, he doesn't demand the artist deal only with him.

"I don't demand exclusive rights. My interest is seeing their work be shown in other places and I'll help them," he said. Unlike other web sites, he adds, Nor-Art deals with both the wholesale and retail markets.

And while his web site is busy getting hundreds of hits daily, Nor-Art also is getting "the best of both worlds" with his in-person show now on at the Explorer Hotel.

"We had a couple from Kelowna who walked into our show and told us how they'd toured our web site before they came to Yellowknife. A lot of people will browse us, knowing they can come and see the real thing."

To get a glimpse of Nor-Art's latest line, call up www.ducttape.nt.ca/norart.