Crystal Dillon

I am from Inuvik, but was raised in Newfoundland, and currently live in Edmonton. I manage and am the owner of Northern Spirit and Nature Designs—a small business here in Edmonton. I draw with charcoal in a realist style, paint with oil in contemporary styles, and sculpt in bronze. I have been working on my art for 18 years and went to Red Deer College from September 2014 to April 2016, majoring in sculpture. I was in the Great Northern Arts Festival in July 2016 and started selling art from there.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PIECE.

My art piece is named Delta Girl (2017) and it is an oil painting on canvas, 4 ft by 4 ft. The inspiration came from the land when I was in Inuvik. The woman is the life-giver and her voice from a young girl is powerful. The blue iceberg represents the beauty and power of the young girl’s voice. The story is of a young girl drum dancing on her spirit animal—an old polar bear that is very wise. The old polar bear is telling the young girl that her spirit is strong, and her voice is powerful. I painted this for 5 days, layering colors for vibrancy and the piece just came together naturally with oil paint. It was fun.

HOW DID IT FEEL TO BE IN THE TOP 4?

I was very excited and honored to be picked as the Top 4. I had never been in a magazine before and I was proud to have been picked. Thank you.

WHAT DOES 'ART' MEAN TO YOU?

Art is an expression of our soul as well as a universal language.

ANY ADVICE FOR INUVIALUIT ARTISTS?

Practice, love what you do, hold your head up strong, and never give up.