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By Elliott Knopp

La Loche Artist

La Loche Man awarded $2,000 grant for Indigenous artwork

Sep 8, 2021 | 4:22 PM

A local La Loche artist was recognized for his handmade artwork recently and will be receiving a $2,000 grant to help him further pursue his passion and develop his business.

Bobby Janvier carves and paints paddles displaying traditional Indigenous designs. His work ranges from full-sized pieces to keychain items. Some of his work is displayed in cabins, schools and wherever else his clients see fit.

Janvier started making his art pieces nearly 20 years ago. He said he first discovered his talent as a child before temporarily abandoning his craft in his teen years. Now that he has reconnected with his craft, he hopes to use the grant to help further his business.

“I’m usually at home making these by myself. I’ve tried to get people to help me, but even my brothers couldn’t,” he said.

He added he plans to apply for another grant to help him move his operation to a more suitable location.

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“Maybe they’ll help me build my shop and get my shop going so I don’t have to work out of my basement. My kids don’t like all the noise.”

Janvier’s work is inspired by nature he’s encountered in his life. In an interview with meadowlakeNOW, he shared a story of working up North with a group of geologists when they noticed an eagle would hunt for fish along the same section of the river almost daily.

After the first couple of times seeing the eagle, many of the crew members on site had taken photos of the eagle in action before it eventually flew off with its food. One of the crew noticed Janvier was the only one who hadn’t taken a photo and jokingly told him it may be waiting for him.

That’s when he decided to try and capture the moment.

“I said I’ll give it a try. I jumped down and got about 10 feet away from it and took a picture of it eating the fish. On the way back to camp, I had this little drill set that I had taken with me just to do something out there, so I carved out an eagle on my first trip.”

Along with working to expand his business, Janvier hopes to continue working with local schools, friendship centres and village offices to showcase his work and share it with others in the community.

In a media release, SK Arts stated nearly 100 individuals and organizations received a collective total of more than $685,000.

The organization formerly known as the Saskatchewan Arts Board claimed to be the longest standing public arts funder in Norrh America, and the second-longest standing in the world after the Arts Council of Great Britain.

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elliott.knopp@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp