MOUNTAIN LIFE - Coast Mountains | Fall / Winter 2017

FALL/WINTER 2017 MLCM 75 words :: Todd Lawson Like his life, Shawn Hunt’s art is a study in contrasts. Country life versus city living, mountains versus ocean, carvings versus paintings, simplicity versus complexity, traditional versus contemporary and family versus self. However, it’s never been about “versus” as conflict. For Hunt, a Heiltsuk artist born and raised on the Sunshine Coast, the juxtaposition has been about creating art that resonates beyond the sum of its opposite components. And his family roots have always led the way. “My father is Heiltsuk, from Waglisla [Bella Bella on the BC North Coast] and my mother is of Scottish descent from Langham, Saskatchewan,” says Hunt. “Besides both these two places being very small, they couldn’t be more different. So, my upbringing is from two contrasting cultures, two very different worlds. I always felt like a part of me belonged to both cultures, while another part of me didn’t feel like I fully belonged to either. When I was young, this dynamic was confusing and at times caused me a lot of anxiety. As I got older and more serious about my work, I realized that it was in these contrasts where I felt most comfortable. I began to feel more powerful, where at times, as a child, I felt powerless. If my work seems to be an expression of contrast, then it is probably because I myself am a contrast at my very core.” One consistency is nature. Childhood winters spent skiing and snowboarding with his family in the Coast Mountains helped to shape and influence Hunt’s character. As a young man growing up within the Heiltsuk Nation, his backyard consisted of west coast wonders like towering Douglas firs, western red cedars, thick carpets of lush green moss and plentiful wildlife. The mountains were a blessing that helped him imagine and create. “If my work seems to be an expression of contrast, then it is probably because I myself am a contrast at my very core.” SHAWN HUNT