Winnipeg Arts Council

The Eagle of Protection & The Warrior of Strength

This pair of 30" x 60" drawings by Brandon Atkinson use elements of the Woodland style of Indigenous art where traditional teachings, spirituality and the relationships between people, animals, and plants are expressed through contemporary mediums. The images are large and powerful, with intricate details that reference animals, the land and the Indigenous culture and people that are dear to the artist. 

The artwork was installed in the foyer of City Hall's Administration Building through the THIS PLACE on Treaty 1 Territory & the homeland of the Métis Nation project, and was supported in part by the Government of Canada through the Canada 150 Fund.

Brandon Atkinson

Brandon Atkinson is an emerging Métis artist who was born in 1988 in Edmonton, Alberta. He started drawing when he was eight years old and credits his grandparents with encouraging him and believing in him as an artist. As a student in elementary school he recalls that “from the time I started going to school they told me: if you can see it in your head, you can draw it.”

Brandon is a proud father of six children and his family is an essential part of his life as an artist:

From the time I was young I knew I would be an artist. I have always felt that I could use my art to give my family a better life and I am constantly working hard to accomplish my goals. All my inspiration comes from my family and what they mean to me. When I'm drawing I think of a cabin in the mountains and I'm looking out at nature and seeing animals or a scene with a beautiful background. I enjoy trying to put stories in my work and it helps my overall vision for my artwork and the original drawings I create.

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