Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette)

Life Unfolds As It Should (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 23:18:25 -0700

Growing up i was taught that to see a cardinal, to hear it's song, meant that there was a special message for you. A spiritual message. I created this painting with that thought in mind. What does the Cardinal bird whisper to you?

RISE - Idle No More (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 01:21:59 -0800

I was going to offer a percentage to charity, but instead I just drastically lowered the price so as many people as possible could get one. Enjoy!

Kokum's Garden (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:50:59 -0800

We have everything we need The world is abundant The only emptiness is in the heart of man Go to the wild Renew yourself In Kokum's Garden

Aniti Anemos (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:12:44 -0800

Aniti is a Sanskrit word meaning "he breathes". Anemos in Greek is "wind". They are the root for the word Animus, that primitive and natural part of the human mind that works behind our awareness, under our masks of reality and experience. It is a place of magic, the wellspring of images and symbols whose meanings lie deep within us, the definitions of which we can never truly grasp, but must be content to feel - to learn of perhaps - only in that place between wakefulness and dreams. What ancient memories are held in each of us? As droplets of water that exist for a brief span like the spray of water on the sea before it falls again to rejoin the whole, we carry a pearl of the entirety in that deep place in our hearts. To me, this is expressed as a feeling of connection to the soil, as a kinship with the beasts, and as a believer in visions and personal spiritual knowledge. It is why I paint. As each of us follows our own path it will teach us, day by day, how to breath the wind.

Thunderbird Woman (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:43:03 -0800

We hear the Thunderbird in the spring time, calling to us from across the plains, telling us it's time to begin anew. Things we've set aside or neglected, relationships gone stale with hurt silence, or dropping the ball in caring for ourselves or for our community. The things that make us human and give us the chance to become great, these are the things Thunderbird calls out to remind us of. "Rise up! Stand! Speak and do! The time for sleeping is over!" This past spring and summer the nights were filled the call - insistent, refusing to be ignored. Put away the keyboards and screens, resist the call of apathy and strike that lightning inside of ourselves, let the spark of action fill us. Though it always burns right at first it soon becomes a cherished flame. One day we will wake up and it will be our last day on earth. Before then, let's heed the reminder and live larger than we dreamed before. Let's listen to the Thunderbird Woman.

Breath of Life (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:26:40 -0800

If you look closely in the background of this piece you will see various plants and animals carved into the cave wall. I was thinking about the process of creation, of how we think something into reality, be it a painting, an experience, a song, or our lives. I thought of the Shaman; of the Medicine Woman; the Visionary. I had a dream once of a world where the wise ones had to paint the seasons. If they didn't, the seasons wouldn't come to pass. They would watch the stars, listen to the wind, observe the animals and when the time was right they would sing, dance and paint and the world would turn as it should. I felt the same thing could be applied to the creation of the planet. Don't doubt this truth: we create it fresh every day. Every moment we feel it, we think it into the reality that surrounds us. There once was a different dream, a simpler dream, and we all shared it. And it was about sharing. It was about giving thanks to each other and to Mother Earth, Father Sky, our brothers and sisters: the animals. What dream do we want to dream now? What do we want the world to be for ourselves and for those who come after? What can we be excited about? What can we be proud of? What will bring us peace? These are the issues that should occupy our days and to which our energies should be bent. To what will we breathe our dreams? To what will we give the Breath of Life?

Compassion Warrior (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:21:37 -0800

I Won't Fight You But I will get educated Honour the old ways And walk the good path I won't fight you, but I WILL overcome your fear with deep compassion I am a Warrior

Ice Sentry (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:22:58 -0800

If you live in the North, you understand winter, and understanding winter, you understand these paintings. For everyone else, I'll explain a little bit. The nights are long - and dark. The day is short and when there is cloud cover, all the emptiness and all the snow is surreal. Across wind swept fields of snow fly the whisperings of despair. Against this we must keep a constant watch. The cold, the dark, the world asleep...there are dreams that we guard against or lose ourselves in them. That is one aspect of the winter and these paintings are a totemic homage to the silent wisdom gained only during the internal battles of the white season. We don the warpaint, the bright colours that will carry us through and we watch. Warriors aren't there to fight, but to protect. To keep the sacred fire alive. We are all warriors.

Mother and Child (Mountains) (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:19:40 -0800

Stories are powerful, and the more powerful they are, the more universal they become. In this winter season we tell many stories, but none are so striking to the heart and the imagination as that of a mother and child. No matter your beliefs, just the simple quiet between a sleeping baby and a caring mother is enough to make us all feel a little more at peace, a little more calm. This blessing is not unique to any denomination, creed, or belief. It's something special that we all share. So I wish you a joyous celebration this season, and let us all remember to be grateful for each other and have reverence for this singular miracle we call life. Hiy hiy.

Returning Home (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:20:03 -0700

This was painted for the survivors of the Canadian Residential School experience. For those who don't know, it was government policy to "kill the Indian" in children by taking them forcibly from their homes and transporting them to far away schools. These Schools were run primarily by religious organizations and many of the children were physically and sexually abused. They were forbidden to speak their own language and at the end of their experience were broken people with many unresolved emotional scars. My grandmother was one of them. This policy ended in the 1990's. Not the 1890's. The 1990's. Every First Nations (Native) family has someone who was subjected to this purposeful abuse and the long ranging results are alcoholism, drug abuse, perpetuation of the abuse they suffered on the next generation, mental illness and so on. Sometimes white society in Canada gets frustrated at the repetition of these facts. I guess it's a sort of "blame the victim" mentality and they wish Aboriginal people would just get over it. Of course, it is my most sincere wish that one day First Nations people heal and do get over the abuse. But something that took hundreds of years to mess up probably won't be fixed overnight. It will take generations, and that's just the simple, unvarnished truth. White society should be outraged at their government. Locking someone in a room and allowing them to be molested by a man or woman of god for ten years might take more than an apology to make all right. Anyway, it's kind of depressing information, I agree, so I'll leave you with the write up I created for this work. --- The idea for this painting was to communicate safety, security, a return to tradition and traditional teachings. In essence, it was to be about healing. I considered the challenge it represented and in an instant this image appeared to me. A tipi lit from within, offering sanctuary against winter’s chill. The warmth is so overpowering that it spills out through the skin, much like the glow of a person who has found a truth and lives by it, their own personal light shining out into the world offering hope to everyone. And better yet, there is a community here. No one is alone. In every home is a family, laughing, playing, dancing or praying. This is a good place to be. Above the still and silent night hangs a full moon, lighting the way for travelers who are still out in the hills, showing them the way back to hearth and comfort. They carry burdens but will be able to put them down when their lonely journey ends. Watching over it all are the Aurora Borealis, our Northern Lights. Swaying, shining, the light of those who have gone before - our grandmothers and grandfathers - are holding hands, keeping the beat of the Round Dance. We watch this beautiful dance and are reminded of the old ways, the old teachings. We are reminded of our connection to heaven and earth, past and future. We are reminded to live here and now, in each other’s hearts. Though the journey seems far, we are never alone. The spirits of the land surround us, the spirits of the sky watch over us, and the Great Spirit, our Creator, leads us to our greatest happiness. It’s hard to believe it when we are alone in the wilderness, but come home, be safe, be warm. Come home and rest. Come home at last, and heal. --- With thanks to Honor Walk: Residential School Healing

Caleoni (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:02:03 -0700

This was painted half in Hawaii and half in Canada. It was my first time being overseas and the experience of Oahu really touched me. My time there was very special for me and I came to understand something amazing. When I first arrived, I was struck by the sheer humidity of the air, the gentle feeling on my skin. As the days passed and I walked in the valleys and along the beaches, as i swam and soaked in the sun, I began to see the spirit of the land, the energy. I saw the underlying currents of the winds, the water, the rock and soil. The entire island came alive under my feet! I couldn't delay. I bought paints, canvasses, supplies and sat in the hotel room every evening, painting away, the song of the island birds coming in through the vast windows. I felt like a Black feathered Corvid out of my element and yet completely at home. A stranger in a strange and welcoming land. My wife and I were talking about children, the possibility of a daughter. In that place of renewal and peace I imagined the child of our dreams, perhaps not this physical form represented, but I hope it captured the spiritual essence of what that child might be. Since that time we have settled in at home and we are expecting a son. Perhaps that daughter is in the future, but for now, just knowing that a new little life is on it's way, feeling him dance and kick in her belly, fills me with a wonderful joy.

Northern Gods (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:58:19 -0700

This painting was in response to the dreams, both sleeping and waking, that I'd been having as I worked on my latest show with the Art Gallery of Alberta. I was exploring the mythos and history of the coming together of the two sides of my heritage: First Nations and Norse. The similarities in culture are astounding, as are the differences and this image kept coming to my mind. What does it mean? Who are the two figures and what happened in the hours previous to this moment? Who is this mysterious god(gess) looking upon the scene with such apparent serenity or humour, compassion or disdain? Even to me, the so-called creator, it is a mystery.

Strength (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:44:09 -0700

Somehow I've Always Known (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:31:36 -0700

I grew up in the 80's. That means that my chances of being a kid completely obsessed with Star Wars was pretty good. And obsessed I was. My older brother had an 8mm camera and he and his friend used to make stop motion movies recreating the battle scene on Hoth, strafing missions, etc. My younger brother had all the toys. All of Them. For me, the mythology, the archetypes...they got mixed in with every other belief system I was exposed to. And so we have this painting. I've always wanted to do my own interpretation of classic Star Wars characters but there just didn't seem to be the time. I'm glad i finally got around to it. Here we see the Princess Leia. She is clothed in green and rather than the young virginal damsel in distress, I have chosen to portray her as someone more wise, more in keeping with a woman born with the genetic disposition to feel the energy of all living things. She is in the midst of a waking dream which she will not remember on a conscious level, but instead become an instinctive knowing. As events unfold, they will seem destined, as though she had been there before. Instead of the brassy, 70's child Carrie Fisher portrayed, I have given her a wisdom born of life under an autocratic thumb, always living with one face in public, but concealing a deep, rich inner life filled with her own thoughts and aspirations, bearing the fate of millions in her skill at navigating between two worlds. One day in the future she will receive news that will change the course of an already tumultuous life and rather than balk at it or attempt to explain she will state quietly and simply, "I know. Somehow I've always known."

The Old Saint (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:26:58 -0700

I painted this last year for a friend who really loves art, collects art and is just a good all round guy. It's an old spiritual man, listening to the whisperings of the spirits of the land. In Old Europe, Christianity was pretty much the only option for spiritual expression, so I really respect these old saints who tried to do what good they were able in their time. They were deep thinkers, clear writers, and really did their best to peer past the world we take for granted to understand the wonder that connects it all. In front of him lies an illuminated manuscript. As Stephen King has said, telepathy exists and we call it books. We can literally read the minds of those who wrote their thoughts out for us. I believe everyone has something to offer. The problem is we think we have to be experts or create the Most Amazing Thing Ever! If everyone who put themselves out there thought that, we'd live in a truly desolate creative landscape. Whatever you have to give, give it now. There's no better day to offer your gift than today, and whether the audience is great or small doesn't matter. The truth is, whatever you do will pass through the years, through the generations and one day just might be the thing that changes someone's life. We can never know what it will be or when it will happen. So just create! Offer what you can.

Renew (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:16:00 -0700

Spirit Flow (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:06:54 -0700

She's In The Wind (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:00:55 -0700

Everyone Is Invited To The Feast (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:47:17 -0700

Everyone is Invited to the Feast I wanted to paint something that made me happy. So I did! I smiled my whole way through this piece, imagining all the guests who were still to arrive and the food that was yet to be served! Everyone is invited and there is enough (and more!) for all.

Seventh Fire (For Sale)

Aaron Paquette (aaronpaquette) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:43:36 -0700

Endless fields of snow. Cold with no relief. A darkness that weighs heavy and long. There are times in our lives when it feels as though everything we touch turns to dust and there is nothing good that is lasting and true. W all have our times of despair, where hope can find no foothold. Then for no reason we can ever truly explain something changes. A spark lights up inside and re-ignites the fire of our vision, the heat that fuels our heart. We find that not only are we alive but we are strong. We are bright. We are perfect beings and the beauty of our souls light up the night like the sun. We are the Seventh Fire and we are strong.