Jennifer Geens
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 08/03) - John Rombough once travelled across Canada to discover his roots.

Now he's on the road again, this time to sharpen his skills at communicating those roots through his art.

Rombough has won a scholarship to the Enok'in Centre, a First Nations art program in Penticton, British Columbia, that teaches not only Fine Arts but also the history of aboriginal art and marketing skills.

"It sounds like a pretty intense course," said Rombough.

"I wanted to do this about four years ago, but then I had some kids," he added.

He once enroled in a two-year graphic design course in Prince Edward Island, but lost interest after a year.

"It was too commercial for me. Then I started doing my native style."

Born in Sioux Lookout, Ont., Rombough was adopted by a couple from P.E.I.

His adoptive father was a tinsmith, and Rombough grew up surrounded by crafts.

He was also intrigued by the drawings of Norval Morrisseau, the famed Ojibway artist.

"It's not like he's my idol, but he expresses the spiritual, shaman side of art," said Rombough.

"He had a rough life but he's a really talented artist."

The Morrisseau influence is strong in Rombough's work. His recent canvases display stylized line drawings of animals against backgrounds of bright, eye-catching colours.

As an adult Rombough went searching for his birth parents and found that his biological father was living in Lutsel K'e.

The self-taught painter then moved to the NWT to learn about his heritage, and found his painting style began to mature.

"I grew up on the east coast but I came up here to further my art and try to get the younger kids involved, too," he said.

"I've been up here since 1994, learning everything I can about my father and his culture."

Ten years later he submitted a portfolio of his work to the selection committee and won the scholarship for the eight month course in Penticton.

Fellow Lutsel K'e resident Wendy Catholique will also attend the school to study creative writing.

Rombough is planning a series of paintings based on Chipewyan Dene legends. To accomplish that, he needs to improve his drawing of human figures, something he hopes the school in Penticton will help him with.