Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 17/00) - Interviewing an artist in their home makes for an absorbing visit.

Dene painter Antoine Mountain's simple home in Yellowknife -- he is originally from Fort Good Hope -- reflects his work approach, which could be described as spiritual; dwelling in the land of subtle emotions, intimate responses and sublime colours.

Mountain's most recent works hang on a wall in the dining room. His paintings, which are all landscapes, are based on photographs by Yk photographer Tessa MacIntosh.

Mountain's style, which has not changed since he spoke to News/North last May, recalls some of the old European masters. He might mention Renoir, for example, because of his own use of light and colour.

While Mountain loves his work, it can be too much at times.

"I always go down to Arizona from the end of October to the end of February. I do so much painting here, a total of almost 75 in eight months. That's one painting every three days. You just get so you..."

Mountain then considers just how he gets and says "exhausted," in a low, thoughtful voice.

"The type of work I do, Impressionism, appeals to a viewer's emotions. It's not a graphic depiction of the subject matter but how the painter would feel about it. In order to pass it on to the viewer, you really have to feel what you're doing. So it's draining in that way."

In Arizona he doesn't "want to see paint, paintbrushes or canvas," so he visits galleries and talks to artists.

"Among the Navajo, the lifestyle is so tied in with spirituality. There's no division," says Mountain.

"The content of the artwork is of such a refined nature. A lot of native cultures don't have a word for 'art.' And how they work down there demands such skill and patience."

Mountain's visits to the southern state has enabled him to see the native population has retained its spiritual practice.

"Here, we're still recovering from the Roman Catholic Church and residential schools. We're in a fragile state of affairs here spiritually."

Continuing to discuss his current work, Mountain says he takes a little breather after completing each piece.

And while that amount of painting may be draining, there is a lot to be learned.

"There are a lot of good lessons involved in painting. You always experience something that wasn't there before. You have to be open, and be willing to explore your mind and your heart."

It's only in the last five or six years that Mountain has been supporting himself solely with his art.

"But it's only been these last couple of years that I really felt I could exclusively attribute it to the artwork."

Mountain says it's taken patience and perseverance, which is something artists are not generally known for, he says.

He also says it takes business sense, but makes the point that he doesn't approve of making art for purely commercial reasons.

"I don't condone or support the whole idea of what you call appropriation -- artists who will purposely go out of their way to take a subject matter that they're not entitled to. It's kind of a sensitive and vague topic. But some of it is so blatant. They'll do it for commercial reasons."

Mountain prefers the admiration and respect of fellow artists to a high sales record. He cites an art teacher in Toronto, where he attended art school between 1978-82.

"Diane Pugen, who is recognized as probably the best figurative in Canada today. She was my anatomy teacher. I go by what she says. She told me that she's not entitled to take the credit for what happened with my artwork but she also said it's, in her words, dynamite. The latest ones."

The land remains Mountain's subject of choice.

"Nature by itself, you can't beat it. The hand of God in creation, it's perfection itself. All I can do is interpret it or pass it along."

The artist also enjoys painting portraits.

"It requires a discipline that's not there in the other artwork, a different application of paint, different brush strokes.

"When you alternate, they complement each other. You end up having a more disciplined approach. It gives you a balanced approach."

Mountain will show his recent works at Northern Images in Yellowknife this summer. There may also be shows in Winnipeg and Edmonton through the same gallery.