INUVIK
With a plethora of worthy artists at the Great Northern Arts Festival, it was a challenge to only pick five to profile. These artists come from all over Canada and represent a wide range of skills, which they showcased at the festival which ran from July 15 to July 24.

George Roberts focuses intently as he works on a pendant. - Sarah Ladik/NNSL photos

George Roberts

Whitehorse

Knifemaker and jeweller

After 38 years of knifemaking, George Roberts has semi-retired but he remains active in a new but related medium.

Having spent decades collecting horn, bone and antler castoffs from knife handles, he has now spent five years turning what was unusable into beautiful jewelry.

"I'm so happy I did save all those little bits all those years," he said. "A lot of the material, they're extinct, like mammoth ivory. And other things are hard to come by. So I guess I classify myself as a hoarder."

Roberts said he learned how to carve in stone from other Northern artists, and had a foundation of experience from nearly four decades of making custom knife handles.

After that, he just had to teach himself to do it in miniature.

Maidie-Anne Turner

Inuvik

Stained glass and Painting

Every year, Maidie-Anne Turner comes to the Great Northern Arts Festival with a new thing.

This year it's dot art, inspired by Australian indigenous traditions.

"I'm inspired by my surroundings," she said. "Everyday things are inspiring to me."

Apart from painting, Turner is most well-known for her stained-glass work, particularly in town. She said she strives to work in a variety of media, and that it keeps things interesting from year to year.

Her advice for all aspiring artists?

"I always tell people when they say they can't draw, yes they can," she said. "Everyone can, and they should."

Brigitte Genois

St. Raymond, Que.

Woven art

A sophomore at the festival, Brigitte Genois said the part she likes the most is the opportunity to teach.

She lived in Yellowknife from 2010 to 2013 and missed the North when she moved to Quebec, so the festival is an ideal chance for her to return, she said.

As a weaving teacher in the province, she said she relishes teaching workshops at the festival and was pleasantly surprised with the level of interest in the work she's seen in the region.

She said she was already looking forward to returning next year.

"It's great to be able to interact with both the community and the tourists, all at once," she said. "It's really great to be here."

Hayden McHugh

Dawson City, Yukon

Carver

Hayden McHugh has only been carving for four years but was already one of the darlings of this year's festival.

His work in BC Chlorite, combined with other materials including copper, proved beautiful and popular with both professionals and consumers.

He said he had begun carving in antler but switched media after coming to the festival a few years ago and seeing how much fun the stone carvers were having.

"It's all a learning curve for me," he said, gesturing toward his current project, Flying With My Ancestors. "I started this design at a festival in Whitehorse and am finishing it here."

He said the best part of the festival for him is the opportunity to get advice and tips from other carvers, something that can be difficult when he's working on his own.

Brian Kowichuk

Inuvik

Painting

Brian Kowichuk called his first year at the arts festival a great experience, as well as an opportunity to learn from other artists.

"It's a good place to be appreciated," he said. "A lot of people you never see are out."

Kowichuk works in acrylic and said he mainly does a lot of landscapes and wildlife, especially with Inuvialuit themes.

"It's great for people to come out and get some insight into our culture," he said. "And as an artist, I get to find out about other mediums I didn't know existed. It's a great place to learn."

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