Jane ash poitras three sisters reflected

Cree painter and printmaker

Jane Ash PoitrasCM RCA (born October 11, 1951) is a Creepainter and printmaker from Canada. Her work uses the idioms of mainstream art to express the experience of Aboriginal people in Canada.^[1]

Life

Jane Ash Poitras was born in Fort Chipewyan Alberta. Her mother died of tuberculosis when Poitras was six and she was adopted by an elderly German woman. She grew up in Edmonton, Alberta in a Catholic household.^[2] Before turning to a career in the arts, she obtained a B.Sc. in microbiology at the University of Alberta. She later obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from the University of Alberta and a Master's from Columbia University.

Work

...each blank canvas is an invitation to a journey of discovery. I may begin with an idea of what the final destination—the completed painting—may be, but I’m always open to the unexpected. As Carl Beam said, the art of placement is a spiritual act. Each step in the creative process may reveal unexpected choices that require decision

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Jane Ash Poitras

First Name: Jane

Last Name: Poitras

Full Name: Jane Ash Poitras

Date of birth: 1951

Place of birth: Fort Chipewyan, Alberta

Community/Heritage: Mikisew Cree, Dene

Sex: Female

Art Media: painting, printmaking, mixed media

Bio:

Jane Ash Poitras’ career is one defined by patchworks and transformations. Of Mikisew Cree and Dene descent, Poitras was born in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, and following her mother’s death at an early age, was raised as a Catholic in Edmonton. She attended the University of Alberta, receiving first a BSc in microbiology followed by a BFA in printmaking. She completed her studies with an MFA in printmaking from Columbia University’s School of Painting and Sculpture. During her studies here, she was exposed to a wide variety of influences, including American artists such as Cy Twombly and Robert Rauschenberg and European colourists such as Wassily Kandinsky and Hans Hofmann. Initially working in etching, she moved to printmaking, painting, and collage, developing a highly expressive visual language of layered images, text, readymade, an

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Jane Ash Poitras

B.Sc., B.F.A., M.F.A., B.A. (Hon.), LLD (Hon.), DLitt (Hon.)

Jane Ash Poitras, an internationally acclaimed First Nations visual artist, is renowned for her impactful contributions to Canada’s artistic landscape. A recipient of the Order of Canada in 2017, she has been celebrated with numerous accolades, including honorary degrees from the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Arts and Culture.

Born in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, and raised in Edmonton, Poitras overcame early hardships to achieve academic and artistic excellence. Initially pursuing a career in medicine, she earned a B.Sc. in microbiology before shifting her focus to art, eventually earning a B.F.A. from the University of Alberta and an M.F.A. from Columbia University.

Her work blends Indigenous traditions with diverse influences like ethnobotany, linguistics, and contemporary issues, resulting in thought-provoking pieces that challenge and enlighten. Her major exhibitions, including “Who