STOUGHTON - Brian McArthur, a talented Indigenous artist from Ocean Man First Nations (OMFN), has transformed a challenging chapter of his life into a profound source of inspiration for his artwork.
At first, he did not know this was going to help him.
McArthur went to a residential school from Grades 1-8, and he said sketching was a great way to pass the time in his room when they were not allowed to do anything.
They stayed at the school around the clock, only being allowed to go home on Christmas day. If they were lucky, he said they could stay the night and return to the school on Boxing Day.
“I remember four buses coming to pick us up early in the morning on Christmas,” said McArthur. “And then we all got dropped off at our homes, and later in the day, the buses returned to pick us up.”
The experiences are not something he talks about much. When his parents moved to White Bear First Nations (WBFN), he began school there. His parents are also residential school survivors.
As time went on, McArthur put his sketching aside. He went to work in the oilpatch, got married and had five children and now has 13 grandchildren.
One day a granddaughter came to him with an assignment for school: drawing a puppy. The two of them together managed to get the project done, and it was at this point that McArthur realized that he had more talent than he thought.
In 2004, McArthur went to a dollar store and picked up a small canvas and water paints, and began to paint. This gave him an incredible feeling of peace, relaxation and such joy, he furthered his paintings.
The first one he completed still hangs in his apartment, as he said he could never part with it.
Taking a break from rigging in 2006, he taught at the OMFN Education Centre, teaching art in the afternoons to all of the grades. This furthered his desire to return to his paintings.
McArthur’s work draws heavily from his heritage, depicting scenes of community, spirituality and the natural world in a style that merges traditional Indigenous elements with contemporary art techniques.
Each piece he creates comes from his mind. He might sit at the canvas and have the music inspire him as he begins to paint. His pieces are all originals, and he is proud of that. They carry a part of his past and present, featuring Indigenous ways of life, the fancy shawl dancer's beauty, and teepees sitting in the lush grass.
McArthur is always busy, as he works at Stought’s Eatery in Stoughton as a prep cook and dishwasher. He repairs appliances and also does maintenance out at OMFN. His painting is done in his spare time.
He has done paint nights at the Bear Claw Casino, where he met artist Michael Lonechild.
“He commented on how good my art was and gave me some pointers,” said McArthur. It's something he will not forget.
McArthur has sold his art across Canada and some pieces have gone to Mexico as well, but now he needs to refill his stock as it is nearly depleted.
Drafting poems is another love for McArthur. One poem he wrote about the missing and murdered Indigenous women, and he also did an art piece on it. He sold the piece and donated the funds to a foundation for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. He felt it was wrong to benefit from the art.
Five years ago, he also began to learn the Nakota language. It takes eight years to be able to teach the language and this is his goal. It takes years to learn, but he is determined to learn.
