The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
After taking the challenge of painting a wolf statue in Thompson with the Spirit Way project, Monique Rainville has taken her talent to Cranberry Portage. The world's largest canvas tipi has been surrounded by several smaller tipis, which were in turn painted by several artists, including the creative Flin Flonner. "It's different from all the rest," says Rainville, who painted an interpretation of a painting by fellow artist and friend Elaine Angelski. Unfortunately the weather didn't hold out long enough for the paint to dry, and many designs began to run. However, Rainville says she picked up a few tips from being a fabric painter. "We're using a water colour, like a wash colour. This way the colour won't run, hopefully," says Rainville. With the tipi being larger then the average canvass, Rainville says "we just paint as far as we can reach." If painting a giant tipi wasn't a challenge in itself, Rainville says "the sun is another obstacle." With a laugh she adds, "it's always in your eyes." When it comes to the look of the tipi, she says some people can just get out their paint and brushes, but she has to draw everything out first. "I'm an illustrator, not a painter," she says. Rainville also adds that some people are surprised to see the faint lines drawn onto the canvass, but she lets them know she has to draw things out to see for herself what it will look like. "It's just a sketch, so it's more of a guideline. It's just something to follow," adds Rainville. This is the first year for the Cranberry Portage tipi village, but she says she hopes to see it again for years to come. "I think it's a good idea, and I will definitely be back next year if it's still going on," she says. "We were told if people like the tipis, they can purchase them. We don't know where the money will be going," she says, adding that "they go for $1,000 each." Along with the tipi village, booths were set up along side the perimeter of the field along Cranberry Portage's main beach, selling everything from paintings, to jewelry to native art. It was all part of the Sixth National Aboriginal Arts Administrators and Funders Gathering.
