Aaron Paquette

Aaron Paquette

Aaron Paquette is a Canadian writer and artist, who was a winner of the Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature in 2015 for his debut young adult fantasy novel Lightfinder.

As a painter, his most notable work is a public art mural at Edmonton’s Grandin LRT Station. He also created several iconic images used in the Idle No More movement.

Aaron Paquette has quickly become one of Canada’s leading First Nations artists. Featured on radio, television, in magazines and newspapers across the country, this young man of Cree, Cherokee and Norwegian descent is blending his cultural backgrounds to create visual and spiritual bridges between the centuries long rifts of Europeans and First Nations peoples.

In addition to his acrylic and oil works, Paquette apprenticed in both Stained Glass and Goldsmithing.

“In my paintings, I seek to nurture a relationship with the viewer. I try to use colors that are calming, but also fresh and exciting… In each painting I try to include a story that is meaningful to me and encourages discussion. I hope that my works can act as part of a catalyst toward greater understanding. My work almost always features an animal, totem, or aspect of nature in order to show our relationships with the physical and spiritual worlds that surround us.”