Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Providence ( Jun 09/00) - Johnny Farcy Jr.'s introduction to art came in a rather curious place -- a hospital in Rae-Edzo.

As a five-year-old admitted to the medical facility for an injured knee, he recalled replicating a film projector out of cardboard. He also fashioned himself a cardboard cowboy hat and an airplane.

"Maybe that was my first contact with art," he said from his home in Fort Providence. But it was not something he thought of as a career.

Years later, he trained as a marine mechanic in Esquimalt, B.C., and learned to repair boat engines piece by piece. He also took an art course in the evening.

After landing a job with a garage in Victoria, he signed up for another art course. There he was issued a sketch book and he made good use of it.

"I sketched portraits, animals and flowers," he said. "It was fall fair at that time. I won second prize for the city."

After a year in Victoria he moved back to Fort Providence, where he acted as an advisor to Chief Vital Bonnetrouge. Then it was on to Pine Point, a former NWT mining community, where he earned his keep as a surveyor's helper.

A longer-term job surfaced with a fibreglass company, and thus began a venture in Fort Providence. He spent close to eight years with the company before they pulled out of the community.

Farcy Jr. then became secretary manager with the community's band council. Eventually he became a councillor and sub-chief. In 1974, he began experimenting with art again and has been caught up in it ever since.

His specialty is acrylic painting and painting with India ink, which he dabs on the canvas with a fine brush. He creates portraits from pictures and produces landscapes after day-long outings on the river or on the land for inspiration.

"You're always thinking about what your next project is going to be, your next sketch," he said. "In the summertime we travel all over, taking pictures here and there for winter. I like to work in the winter."

The time away from the art work, much of which is composed of fine dots, is relief for his vision.

"I've got to rest my eyesight," he laughed. "I've been doing this for 26 years and the dots are getting smaller."

Farcy Jr., who was one of the designers of the zinc panel behind the Speaker's chair in the legislature, said he's considering selling some of his art over the Internet.

He's also interested in taking a stab at wood sculpturing and building miniature canoes from natural products like willow, roots, spruce gum and birch.

"It's some kind of engineering feat," he said.