WESTERN HISTORY INDIAN NATIVE AMERICAN FEATHER PIERCE

The Old Ways
11x14 INCH OIL ON CANVAS

This is a 11x14"  oil painting on canvas. It is a striking image of a Native American man in his prime thinking about the old ways.

Laurelle Macy grew up on a farm in northern Canada. Endless in its dimensions, untamed in its spirit, curious in its isolation, to Laurelle it is this and more. It is the stuff of passion,  of creation, of timeless inspiration. Macy’s relationship with the land and its people is a seasoned one. Raised in a series of bush camps, Indian reservations and boom towns in Canada’s North West Territories, Macy understood early on, that her paintings could act as windows to a world little seen by others, but well known and loved by her.

Laurelle first obtained her Associates in Adverting Design. She worked as a graphic designer before moving on to get her Bachelors in art at Brigham Young University. After returning to the north Laurelle enjoyed success in a number of galleries, festival and  commissions. Her and her family moved to Utah where  she completed her master’s degree at the University of Idaho and  has been actively involved in advanced design education at the college level.

Laurelle’s major talent lies in her portrayal of what she calls “living” material. The centerpieces of her artwork are native people, landscapes, and wildlife, all arrestingly “alive” in her paintings. Macy’s refinement of detail is engaging and her love of color apparent, at times immediate and aggressive, at others subtle and leading. Macy experience with color and composition seems to reflect the very personality of her subjects. To see her paintings and feel somehow touched by an open genuine spirit. This singular connection between the viewer and the subject is Macy’s desire. To paint the west, its people, animals and its landscape with compassion and insight, she hopes is her success.

Laurelle Macy’s work has been shown in galleries across Northern Canada and in select studios in Utah. In addition to her work, Macy is faculty at the SLC Art Institute, has illustrated children’s books, portrait painter and is a 3 time grant recipient celebrating northern native people. Her diverse career, where she worked along side Dene Nation elders and Inuit carvers, to the cutting edge world of graphic design gives her tremendous understanding and perspective. An artist of unquestionable talent with yet untapped potential. Macy is certainly someone to watch for.