Steven Brunelle | Spirit Messengers

STEVEN BRUNELLE

SPIRIT MESSENGERS

Saturday, June 6th - Saturday, June 27th

Nicholas Metivier Gallery is excited to present Spirit Messengers, an exhibition of new works on paper by Steven Brunelle.

Spirit Messengers weaves together Steven Brunelle’s interest in Indigenous mythologies with anecdotes drawn from his personal experiences and everyday surroundings in Lafontaine, Ontario, near Georgian Bay. Brunelle has spent his whole life in this area, having grown up only a few kilometers away from where he lives now. This long history with the area has fostered a deep connection with local wildlife that shapes his practice. Seated at the drafting table by a big window in his studio, Brunelle looks out into a garden brimming with life. Songbirds, crows, ravens, owls; a long list of birds call this place home.

Brunelle’s portrayal of birds in this body of work comes out of his interest in their universal symbolism. He notes that across cultures and time birds are mythologized as messengers between our world and the spirit realm, a concept that gives the exhibition its title. Birds carry a host of associations, from rebirth and peace to wisdom and warning. The owl can be a symbol of wisdom or fertility. In Mr. Crow (2026), the artist depicts a frequent visitor to his garden. After Brunelle noticed a particular crow returning over and over, he began to trap red squirrels for it. In return, the crow started bringing its own catches and leaving it as offerings for Brunelle and his wife.

This exhibition focuses specifically on Brunelle’s works on paper. While he recalls sketching as early as his childhood, these vibrant, graphic renditions have been developing over the last two years. For Brunelle, paper allows him to process his ideas more immediately than canvas. He is more at ease working flat so that he can access the image from all sides, moving the paper around and allowing his hands to glide across the surface. Brunelle’s latest compositions are some of his most technically and conceptually complex. With an increased depth of field, Brunelle draws viewers into the multiple stories and influences playing out in each work.

Brunelle is a descendant of the Drummond Island Metis on his father’s side, while his mother is from the Kitigan Zibi First Nation. Brunelle’s mother reconnected with her heritage later in life, dedicating herself to the traditional crafts of quill work, moose hair tufting, and beading design. Brunelle accompanied her to craft fairs, and cites it as an influence on his practice.

Aataentsic, a sky goddess in Huron-Wendat and Iroquois culture, is a recurring figure in Brunelle’s practice. According to the creation story, Atahensic lived in the ‘Upper World,’ but when digging up a tree, it left a hole in the ground that led to a great sky, under which was water. Atahensic fell from the sky and was carried gently down on the wings of birds through the hole and into a body of water. Brunelle’s making of Aataentsic and the Great Lakes (2026) coincided with Artemis II’s voyage to the moon, and the resulting work on paper melds together these two inspirations.

Steven Brunelle

Aataentsic and the Great Lakes, 2026 acrylic on Somerset paper 44 x 30 in.