By Bryn Hadubiak

Artist tells traditional stories unconventionally

May 1, 2014 | 6:21 AM

As you walk into the art gallery at the John M. Cuelenaere Library, the painting of a horned, multi-faced, cannibalistic demon glares down at you, uttering the question: do you want to eat?

'The Pantheon' is an art show featuring the work of local artist John McDonald starts on May 2 and runs until May 27. The show has 10 paintings. Each one depicts a heroic or villainous figure from First Nations, Inuit or Metis mythology as if they were comic book trading cards.

“Each one of these (paintings) depicts the 10 characters that spoke the most to me in my life,” said McDonald. “They’re the stories I’ve heard since I was a little kid. Each one of these is a representation … this is how I saw them in my head.”

McDonald, vice-president of the Indigenous People’s Artist Collective in Prince Albert, has been a professional artist since he was 15 years old, when he sold his first piece. This was a way to take these characters back to a nostalgic form of storytelling of heroes and villains, he said.

“When I was growing up, there was a series of trading cards that depicted characters from the Marvel Comics,” said McDonald.

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Each card would have a hero, a villain or a battle between the two, he explained.

“There was a little story behind each one – you flip the card over and there was a little description of the character and a little ‘did you know?’ at the bottom of each card.

“I collected those … and I still have the originals I had as a kid, and they’ve always been something that’s stayed with me,” said McDonald.

These mythological figures are sacred, and by depicting them in an eye-popping style, McDonald said he hopes to bring interest to their stories for a new generation.

“I’ve sat and listened while really excellent storytellers have told these stories in a way where I was riveted, but the younger generations were nodding off or not even paying attention, and it hurt to see that,” said McDonald. “Those stories weren’t getting passed on.”

“This is my way of honouring those storytellers: by taking the torch, that next step: taking those stories and showing them to the next generation in a way that might catch their eye a little bit quicker,” explained McDonald.

Although McDonald is of aboriginal descent, he prefers to call himself an artist that just happens to be aboriginal.

“When you say aboriginal artist to somebody, right away a certain set of images flood your mind: you’re thinking eagle feathers, you’re thinking buffalo skulls, you’re thinking beadwork,” said McDonald. “That’s valid art, but that’s not my style of art.”

McDonald said Jonet Drever, one of the painting’s subjects, is an ancestor of his. He said he has a personal connection to each of the figures.

“By me choosing these subjects, it’s me touching that part of myself,” explained McDonald.

“I had a lot of people saying, ‘well, you’re just denying your aboriginal heritage,’” he said. “No, absolutely not – I just choose to go through a different route.”

McDonald said he knows some people will be upset by the paintings, and some might be bored, but what matters is they feel something.

“We’re so tied into our technology these days that we’re slowly losing that connection to our emotions,” he said.

“If (people) come in here and absolutely hate this, I’m cool with that, because they felt – they were connected to their emotions one more time.”

news@panow.com

On Twitter: @brynhadubiak