Jason Carter's artwork is on display around the world. Photo by Stephen Strand
An Indigenous artist in Canmore has his work all over the world, showcasing the high quality art and artists that come from Canada.
Jason Carter is a sculptor and artist who has his work on display around the world.
Carter, along with his partner, also own an art gallery in Canmore and one in Banff, where Carter’s artwork is on display and for sale and where his partner, Bridget Ryan, performs original theatre work.
According to Carter, he got into carving, thanks to someone his sister was dating.
At the time, he was working as a camera operator for A-Channel in Edmonton, and during an afternoon in 2005 when he didn’t have much going on, he ended up doing some stone carving.
While he was doing that carving, Carter say he became hooked on carving.
He adds that it took him 9 hours to complete this first carving.
Not only that, but he was supposed to go to a night class that night, but decided to bail on the class to carve instead.
After about three years of carving, Carter says he finally got an exhibit at an art gallery in Edmonton.
As part of that gallery, he was initially going to just display soapstone carvings, but he was asked what he was going to put on the walls of his exhibit.
As for his artwork and carvings, Carter says that he breaks down the object he creates to the simplest form.
Currently, Carter currently uses soapstone and alabaster for his carvings, and acrylic on canvas for his artwork.
While he plans out his painting, Carter says he never fully has a plan when he does the carvings.
Before he started his own gallery in Canmore, Carter says he was having troubles getting his work into other galleries, and was wanting to become a full-time artist.
He ended up meeting the building owner of where his gallery currently is and pitched the idea of the space being turned into an art gallery by day and theatre by night.
They got a one-year lease for the space, which Carter and his partner turned into an art gallery and theatre space.
On top of his artwork being on display at his galleries in Banff and Canmore, Carter has pieces art all over the world.
The Microsoft office in Edmonton has one of his pieces, as well as in Canada Goose stores around the world.
He also has other pieces in both Edmonton, Calgary, and Banff, including at the Calgary International Airport and Moose Hotels in Banff.
With his artwork being around the world and helping to represent the high quality of art that is created in Canada, Carter says it’s a dream come true.
Last year, the Calgary Stampede installed two 30-foot sculptures and two 12-foot sculptures of Carter’s, and this year, they will be installing another 30 foot and 12-foot sculpture of his.
Carter’s family is from John D’Or Prairie in Northern Alberta, but Carter himself was born just outside of Kamloops.
His family then moved to Edmonton, where Carter came of age, and stayed until he moved to Canmore.
Carter and Ryan opened the gallery in Canmore December 2011.
After starting the Gallery, Carter says it was tough, financially, as he wasn’t getting a salary for the first several years the gallery was opened.
At the gallery in Canmore, there is also a 51-seat theatre inside, so there can be theatre at night after the gallery closes for the day.
By having their own gallery and theatre space, Carter says it has allowed them to create exactly what they want to create.
Their Banff gallery was opened in 2016, five years after they opened the one in Canmore
Carter’s pieces focus on nature and wildlife.
To see Carter’s artwork and sculptures, click here.
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