La Ronge artist secures $36,000 grant to pursue upcoming painting series
A $36,000 grant from the Canada Council for the Arts will enable La Ronge artist Donna Langhorne to create a painting series that she says will be something nobody has ever seen before.
“It’s like a dream come true, especially with this grant,” she said. “They said ‘no’ a year ago and then all of a sudden they changed their minds. That was incredible because since the pandemic, it really put a damper on my sales and stuff. It was hard, but lately my art career has just been taking off and I can barely keep up.”
The funding will allow Langhorne to focus on a project called “Anjitoon,” featuring life-sized paintings done in a half-realism, half Anishinaabe Woodland style. The paintings are considered hybrids and will be similar to another series she most recently created based on seven sacred teachings. Langhorne noted the new series will consist of 12 much larger paintings with more mediums like spray paint and stencils used in the background.
She explained there was a huge response to the first hybrid series, which was supported by a grant from the Saskatchewan Arts Board. After the first two were created, the final five sold even before they were finished.