Northern Lights Mixed Media Collages Help Arctic Students Shine
If you’ve ever lost yourself in the soothing voice of Bob Ross, you would be enchanted to spend time watching Inuk artist Jason Sikoak as they create a mixed media collage. They live and work as an artist and originally come from Nunatsiavut. Sharing their talents through the Connected North program, Sikoak makes art and memories virtually in the classrooms.
As students gather online to create new masterpieces, Sikoak shows a copper illuq, a traditional tool they are trying to make sharp enough to cut seal skin. While demonstrating the materials needed for their shared creative experience, they also show off the lighting setup they use that maximizes illumination while minimizing shadow.
The mixed media collage that will be created is a nighttime northern winter scene, inspired by the Northern Lights of Labrador. Sikoak uses a black background on which they trace lines, crafting the outline of the Northern Lights display which will be emerging. Applying adhesive to the page with a glue stick, they joke about not using it as chapstick and everybody laughs.
Crumpled and torn paper is layered to create and give dimension to the snow in the foreground through shadow and texture. There’s a sensory satisfaction to crumpling the paper that sounds a bit like crunching snow under boots on a winter walk. Strips of blue and green construction paper are torn, unfurling an artistic rendering of the Northern Lights display.
Some beams are created from twisted paper, making “happy accidents” into artistic experimentation, with a nod to Bob Ross in their joyful mimicry. They share about watching Ross on TV, a treat that became available when their community first got TV. Demonstrations of technique continue, complete with sound effects, song and laughter, entertaining the young artists making parallel messes in their classrooms.
Creativity and originality are encouraged and students receive teachings like “It’s okay to create something just for yourself, you don’t have to share or display it. It doesn’t have to be perfect for anyone except for you, if you’re happy with it that’s all that matters.” At the same time, Sikoak talks about the opportunity to sell artwork as a career if they so wish.
“Art’s fun if it’s messy,” Sikoak giggles, and tells students that one of the rules of art is cleaning up after yourself. The tearing, while messy, creates colour variation in the places where the paper is torn, giving even more range to the image. Humming, rhyming and joking, Sikoak engages with Connected North host Lily Aniwaya who shares the joy that comes from making something out of nothing.
The construction paper is fun to work with, but once Sikoak made an art collage from copies of Inuit Art Quarterly. “I like creating, it makes my brain happy,” Sikoak shares gleefully before going on to share cultural teachings about the Northern Lights and why one shouldn’t whistle at them. Their soothing voice encourages students to look at the natural beauty of the lights and create them in their art, providing suggestions like using pencil shading to conceal paper edges and creating stars with pencil crayons.
In Sikoak’s language, Inuktitut, the Northern Lights are called “Aksarnirq” and they share about their favourite star, complete with instructions to find it in the sky. As the class draws to an end, Sikoak shares their delight at spending time with the kids making art together. “I love creating, it’s so much fun!” they exclaim.
Creating art that is culturally and geographically relevant provides an opportunity for Northern students to connect with creative expression in a way that is meaningful to them. Spending time with an Inuk artist and role model who shares their experiences and career provides hope and educates them about options for the future they can pursue. Connected North sessions with artists like Sikoak help students shine like the Northern Lights they recreate. Making art and memories that stick with them like the torn construction paper adheres to the landscapes that feel like home.
Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.
