SPOILER ALERT: We will be making further productions of Lake of the Strangers in the future so if you weren’t able to make it out to one of the theatrical performances in early 2019 and wish for the plot to remain a mystery, please don’t continue reading!
We welcome you to the second installment of our Reflection Ceremony blog post series and are honoured to introduce: Carissa Steele.
Carissa is an aspiring conceptual artist with an aptitude for the odd and a penchant for the creepy. With formal training in digital arts, she hopes to specialize in conceptual environments for video games and has an unwavering love for inked drawings, both of which came together in absolute harmony to create a breathtaking original digital painting inspired by one of the final moments in our one-man show Lake of the Strangers.
We were thrilled to have had Carissa join us on our exploration of what it could look like to heal from deep trauma and the reasons why we should seek healing. Whether you were able to make it out to a performance or not, Carissa hopes her painting connects you with the peace that comes with finally letting go, and we do too.
What moment or moments from Lake of the Strangers did you respond to with your artwork and why?
The one moment that struck me the most during Lake of the Strangers was the moment of reflection and letting go.
During their conversation as they sat among the Aurora Borealis, the two brothers began to let go of the stones and drop them into the lake below.
Each stone held a memory and when it came to accepting that his brother was no longer with him physically anymore, Hunter’s character had to heal and move forward by dropping the last stone that represented their journey together that night; the last adventure they would have together. This moment really struck me because everyone holds onto memories, both good and bad, and if you never let them go you never give yourself the chance to heal.
What medium did you choose and what was the inspiration for that decision?
I chose to do a digital painting framed by the shape of the giant bear. Digital painting gives me such creative freedom to paint images I may have thought to be too complicated to ever do traditionally myself. It’s me being able to overcome the obstacle of “I’m not capable of this,” by instead telling myself, “I am capable of doing this with a different approach.”
How did you approach creating this work both technically and artistically?
Technically I found myself constantly battling the desire to add more and more details that connected to the story of LotS.
It was hard to decide what details were most important to my illustration and which details I needed to “let go” of and drop into the artistic lake below me.
The colour palette I went with is bright and cool-toned. I wanted to capture the magical feeling of a dark summer night. Artistically, making sure the stone reflected in the lake was a very important aspect to me. It represents that when you let go of those memories, you aren’t just tossing them away. You’re reflecting on those moments so that you can heal and learn from them in order to move forward.
What do you hope people take away after experiencing your piece?
I hope people feel a sense of whimsy and serenity. I wanted to highlight the energy of the journey the two brothers went on that night and how colourful it felt to watch and feel their adventure while also capturing the moment of letting go of that final stone and the serenity it can bring an individual when they allow themselves to let go and heal.
Some art revolves around the creation of one piece or experience. In joining the creative journey with Lake of the Strangers, can you share your experience in creating an artistic response alongside the show?
It was really eye-opening to be able to follow along with the story that the Cardinals created.
As a Native American woman, this was one of the first experiences I’ve had related to my culture.
My mother was adopted into a European family who hid her identity from her and because of that I was never able to learn traditions and stories from her because she had no idea herself. As I’ve gotten older, I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to learn more about my culture through the amazing Indigenous representation in Edmonton’s art community. I hope to see much more in the near future. Using this story alongside my work inspired me to make things I would have never thought up on my own. It feels like I’ve opened a creative side to me that I never knew about.
If you’d like to learn more about Carissa and her work you can check out her website here, or follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
For other posts in this series, you can visit the Iskotew: Our Circle page on our blog and to hear from the extraordinary person who made this Reflection Ceremony and all of its creations possible you can click here.
