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Sooke Indigenous artist finds beauty in natural world

Jamie Gentry recently won a B.C. Achievement Foundation Fulmer Award for her work
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Sooke artist Jamie Gentry won a B.C. Achievement Foundation Fulmer Award for her leather moccasin art. (File - Sooke News Mirror)

Nadia Fontaine | Contributed

When Jamie Gentry grew up on northern Vancouver Island, she was immersed in Indigenous artistry.

“My aunt and uncle were both artists,” Gentry explained, referring to her relatives, carver Kevin Cranmer and jewelry-maker Lou-Ann Neel. “Their artwork was always around, and that greatly influenced me.”

Although she always wanted to make moccasins, Gentry could never find someone to teach her until she moved to Sooke in 2010 and attended a T’Sou-ke Nation workshop

She hasn’t looked back.

“It opened a door for me, and I became a storyboot artist shortly after,” said Gentry.

Gentry created art for 10 years to support her family while homeschooling her three children. Her mediums have gone from making quilts to moccasins.

“Inspiration comes at the most random times. The beauty of the natural world inspires me; in nature, nothing is the same.” she said.

Gentry recently won a B.C. Achievement Foundation Fulmer Award for her work. It’s awarded to Indigenous artists who exhibit excellence in artwork.

“Fulmer Award alumni show us this year and every year that British Columbia is a place where artistic innovation and creativity are second to none anywhere in the world,” Anne Giardini, chair of the B.C. Achievement Foundation said in a press release.

To see Gentry’s work, visit jamiegentrydesigns.com.

with files

ALSO READ: Meet a maker of moccasin



editor@sookenewsmirror.com

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