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Reflections of the connections between Women's Medicine and Spirit. |
Waterfront Wisdom Pathway
anishinaabe kwe artist Koren Smoke
Koren Smoke grew up in her community of Alderville First Nation, home of the Michi Saagiig Anishinaabeg of Rice Lake.
Growing up on the reserve, Koren was able to learn and practice Ojibway traditions and culture, and it is reflected in her work.
Koren has always been passionate about pursuing a career in art. She also beads, sews, crafts, paints, designs and is a professional tattoo artist under her own label, Painted Turtle Studios, located in Alderville First Nation.
Koren also shares her knowledge and traditions with her community and local schools within the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. She plans to continue to learn and perfect her craft and inspire others to pursue their passions.
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HUMILITY Humility is to know that you are an equal part of all creation. |
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TRUTH To understand all these things is to know truth. |
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We're all related. We're all connected. |
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HONESTY Bigfoot or Raven To walk through life caring for all things while being fair is to know honesty. |
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A visual homage to the tattoo-style and feeling of the waterfront of Cobourg. |
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Ojibway Floral Bleeding hearts as a visual homage to Jayne, whose Spirit Name is Meskwiiwong Wawaskone Ode Kwe - Bleeding Heart Woman. |
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LOVE To know love is to know peace. |
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RESPECT To recognize and value all creation is to have respect. |
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WISDOM Always watch the life of all things around you and listen with an open mind. |
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BRAVERY To face life with courage is to know bravery. |
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The first Indigenous War Memorial, 1927. A break from the order of the Seven Grandfather Teachings — Adding our cenotaph for the show of bravery of our soldiers. |
Rick Beaver - First Nation's Visual Artist
Rick Beaver belongs to the Mississauga Ojibway of the Rice Lake area in Ontario. He has been painting and exhibiting internationally for more than 30 years. He also brings his formal training as a wildlife biologist into the studio. His fusion of art with science works to honour and protect the Earth.
His art has been noted for vibrant colour and line, which creates motion for his subjects, including wildlife, native lifestyles and particularly dynamic landscapes rendered in gouache (opaque watercolour) or acrylics.
He has produced over thirty sold-out print editions in several media and designs his own digital prints. His designs are widely featured in the fashion, gift and collectables marketplace. Retailers can visit producers of his designs by clicking here for more information about these products.
Rick is encouraged that the response of his viewers is reinforced by the mysteries of the land and the life it supports. The Rice Lake area of Alderville First Nation continues to inspire his work and life, where he is still engaged as a biologist and artist.
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Cobourg has some of the most magnificent gardens in Northumberland County. Some of them border the harbour. Here a pink-flowered hybrid magnolia stretches toward the sky. |
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Great Blue Herons forage on fish, frogs and even small rodents and are a common sight along the Lake Ontario shoreline and adjacent creeks and ponds. Here, one is depicted, in stealth mode, in the glow of an evening lit, lily pad covered pond. |
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The Cardinal Flower is one of the most striking floral sights along the shores of lakes and rivers in Ontario. Horticultural varieties are common in local gardens. They are magnets for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in summer. |
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There is no more recognizable turtle in the waters of Ontario than the Eastern Painted Turtle. Here, a colourful group are portrayed surfacing from the darkness of deep water. |
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Arctic Terns conduct a long-distance round-trip migration of approximately 30,000 kilometres between their arctic breeding and wintering grounds in the Antarctic. They are very rarely sighted on the great lakes but so special because of that. Their near relatives, the Common Terns are more often seen. |
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Although an introduced species, Coho Salmon are among the most sought-after species fished in Lake Ontario. Boats leave from this very harbour to catch them. |
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Hovering in the water beneath lily pads, sunfish display their “sun” colours. |
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Nibi is the Anishnaabe word for water. The Michi Saagiig Anishnaabe’s traditional territory, along the north shore of Lake Ontario, enabled them to fish for Atlantic Salmon returning to the rivers to spawn. |
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The Anishnaabe expression for “we are all related” is “Gidinawendimin”. This image portrays some of those relationships. |
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The remarkable southward migration of the Monarch Butterfly which leads it to its wintering range in the central cordillera of Mexico is one of the world's most astonishing wildlife journeys. We are fortunate here in Ontario to witness their rest along the north shore of the Great Lakes before continuing their journey. Here are depicted their remarkable travel connections. |
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A pair of Common Loons calls out on the summer solstice. |
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Blue jays are brilliant, social and intelligent birds and are commonly seen in Cobourg year-round. Here, a trio of them scribe graceful arcs against the sky. |
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Sailing is a very popular activity on the Great Lakes. Here, a harbour full of their hulls and masts rise up to the evening’s light from their berths in Cobourg Harbour. |
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Canada Geese, particularly the giant race, are now common winter residents of the Cobourg Harbour area. They forage in the fields, sometime at quite a distance, from Lake Ontario. |
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