USURJ: University of Saskatchewan Undergraduate Research Journal

Editorial Board and Acknowledgements

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Foreword: Visual Arts Student Union Special Issue

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Foreword to the special issue.

The Caveless Creature

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While many know the Wendigo as a fearsome monster from horror media, the Wendigo is an extremely powerful symbol and creature within Indigenous cultures. I rarely see the Wendigo depicted by an Indigenous artist, and wished to reclaim its fearsome image as a protector of our culture within a modern context. The Wendigo hunts in the woods, but if the forests burn, where does the Wendigo lurk? The Wendigo preys on unsuspecting white settlers. But if the white settlers destroy its home, have colonized the lands it belongs to, are they truly unsuspecting? I see the Wendigo as a creature of decolonization and a symbol that blends our traditions, our present and our future as Indigenous peoples.

"The Big C's" and "Wrap My Bones around You"

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These are photographs of two sculptures I completed as a College of Arts and Science undergraduate student while pursuing my Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in studio art. I worked on these projects during the summer session of 2024 in the Sculpture 1 class taught by Jordan Schwab.

The Big C's: Cardboard, paper, and acrylic paint

Wrap My Bones around You: Chicken wire, papier mache, lace ribbon, pipe cleaner and borax, wooden plaque

Lowering the Bar

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Being somebody who's always focused on academics, I like to challenge people's expectations of me and what I can do. I end up expressing that in the art mediums I use, and like to break out of the convention of what's considered "Normal" or "Expected." In other words, I just like creating things that I think look cool.

"Struggle, Endure, Contend," "Siblings," "Darlene," and "Untitled"

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The intention of my work is to examine the question of “Who Am I?” This question was posed as a prompt by my high school art teacher, and I have been working on a breadth of work under this theme since. This artistic project seeks to analyze my identity as a student, a sister, and a daughter, and it heavily focuses on my cultural background as a biracial person who doesn't live in either of my parents' home countries. As I continue to return to this question, my art becomes a growing, ever-changing body of work, which reflects the very foundation of self-exploration and beginning to understand oneself.

Homage to a Protector Needed

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My work explores the intersection of cultural identity, historical narrative, and technological innovation. As a Métis artist with a background in traditional trades, I am particularly interested in how these elements can be synthesized to create new forms of artistic expression. My sculptures and mixed-media installations often incorporate digital fabrication techniques, serving as a bridge between past craftsmanship and future creative possibilities. Through my art, I aim to contribute to a broader understanding of Métis culture while also pushing the boundaries of contemporary sculpture.

Homage to a Protector Needed: Ceramic with acrylic paint.

Homage fan-based art inspired by Swamp Thing, the protector of the Green from DC comics. Frank Miller's Swamp Thing left a mark on me, which also engages contemporary environmental issues faced today. It would be amazing if nature itself could produce such a protector and provide a voice.

"Ocean Song" and "Filipino Student Association Banner"

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Hi hi! My name is Kurt, an aspiring illustrator who dabbles in a variety of different art mediums such as painting, sculpting, drawing, and most prominently, digital art. I like to create art related to things I enjoy, whether games, music, or shows I like.

"Ocean Song" is a clay sculpture based on "Prestige Ocean Song Seraphine" from League of Legends.

"Filipino Student Association Banner" is a digital piece that I made for the Filipino Student Association, representing a lot of the Filipino Culture and incorporating it with Canadian and, more specifically, Saskatchewan's culture.

Divine

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This project is about the beauty within us and the Almighty. We are created in the image and likeness of God, as it says in the book of Genesis 1:27. We are powerful, strong, fearless, and beautiful just as the Almighty is. Please use this project as motivation to believe in yourself and never give in to hard times.

Digital Art.

"Baba's Jacket" and "Still 'Sleeping in the Sun' 40 Years Later"

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Acrylic on canvas.

I am a first-year education student from Saskatchewan, pursuing an English major and an art minor.

Baba's Jacket is dedicated to my Baba, Darlene. Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30.

Still "Sleeping in the Sun" 40 Years Later is a reimagined painting of Mina Forsyth's 1982 - 1984 "Sleeping in the Sun," found in the University's art archives. My painting uses only primary colours and gloss to 'mix' the colours with light, creating the secondary colours you see.

"The Grass is Always Greener" and "Questions for AI"

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As a third-year undergraduate student studying Interactive Systems Design, Kate’s art explores a variety of mediums, in which a focus on the creative aspect of perspective is carried throughout her work. With Kate’s complementary interests in art and technology, she primarily experiments with graphic design, digital illustration, photography, and a combination of these mediums in her projects.

"The Grass Is Always Greener": This piece is a digital print created using Adobe Photoshop that parodies the well-known “grass is greener” proverb.

"Questions for AI": There are some questions out there that are hard to think about or ask. Perhaps even some that we will never have definitive answers for. However, as technology continues on its course of rapid advancement within the landscape of our ever-evolving society, these are the questions that stand between us and our understanding of where the future of humanity lies. As such, “Questions for AI” is a digital print series that prompts viewers to reflect not only upon recent modern development in artificial intelligence, but also on the new realities of the human race.

Untitled

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Abstract artwork, acrylic on canvas.

"It feels like...I’ve been here, long ago," "Mystical Mycelium," and "Teeth"

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"It feels like...I've been here, long ago": Relief Woodcut

"Mystical Mycelium": Relief Linocut

Poem, "Teeth": Growing up, I've always been drawn to the mundane folklore that we learn about in western society. In "Teeth," I am expanding on the tooth fairy through adopting its psyche; I suggest this tale's connection to other fae, and play with their subjectivity, while leaving room for speculation on its way of life.

"Life Goes On," "Light Lemon with Dark Inversion," and "Cold River Way"

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As a colourblind person, Owen is interested in monochromatic imagery both as a preferred style of creating artwork and as a conceptual bed of inspiration. Black and white, yin and yang, negative and positive, light and dark. It's impossible to know one without the other. This understanding informs how processes of change occur and how we know and move through the world. Ancient bacteria developed ocular capacities to distinguish the difference between light and dark. They made symbolic associations with this sense to more deeply understand where warmth and life-giving resources are and to understand their place and what to do in it. This dialectical understanding is the basis of living experience as we know it, and our development depends on it. We are constantly responding to a lack of things by inserting things. If either light or dark exists in excess, we lose the ability to know and enjoy dynamics. When they exist harmoniously, we know our place more deeply, hopefully well enough to expand its benefits to those who can see it. This artwork is meant to evoke a dynamic sense of an ever-changing place, and our imminent capacity to expand its bounty in relational harmony with our place and each other.

Media used: clay, scratchboard

All Ears

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This piece was drawn for a fundraiser auction put on by the Beef Team at the University of Saskatchewan. It is inspired by a photograph I took last year of one of our Angus bull calves.

"My Rendition of Arthur Lismer's Isle of Spruce," "Jackpine," "Goldfinch," "Cardinal," "Blue Jay"

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I am a senior student at the University of Saskatchewan majoring in Psychology. I continue to take history classes and have a love of education. I have always enjoyed painting and have been involved in art since high school. I have submitted my art to various Facebook pages, including the USask Community Art Group as well as SWAA (Saskatchewan Wildlife Artists Association), and have participated in their shows in Prairieland Park, Reflections in Nature and the Fall Saskatoon Exhibition. I have also been involved in VASU Silence Gallery Shows and the 292 Exhibitions of the student-run gallery on campus. I also greatly enjoy participating with the students in in medias res magazine. I have quite a few paintings on display at a local clinical practice. I also contribute to worthwhile charities throughout the city and have paintings displayed in many local businesses and institutions. I have a painting on display at the university's observatory, the Ukrainian Studies Department, and Student Wellness. For me, my art is my contribution to the well-being of others. I have a philanthropy project, which has been a personal journey involving painting for worthwhile charities. I feel that my cheery, bright acrylic paintings provide happiness and goodwill to others. As a child, I was raised by parents who cultivated a sense of hospitality, which has led me down this pathway.

"Monochrome Passage," "Fragmented Reflection," and "Fandom Reveries"

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This project explores the interplay between objects, memory, and narrative through a series of monochromatic still-life compositions. Each piece juxtaposes everyday items, personal artifacts, and symbolic elements to reflect themes of nostalgia, storytelling, and identity.

"Ophelia," "Roots," "Birthday Girl"

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I’ve learned to carve the mountains. I dedicate this work to the roots I sprouted from.

Ophelia: India ink on cold-pressed paper

Roots: India ink on Lynx paper and chalk pastel on Stonehenge

Birthday Girl: Pastel on Stonehenge

"Head in The Clouds", "Untitled" (mushrooms), "Untitled" (arrowhead)

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Meghan-Nicole Morin is a proud Michif from North Battleford, SK, on Treaty 6. Morin is a proud Métis multimedia artist from North Battleford, SK, currently at the University of Saskatchewan pursuing a degree in Archaeology/Anthropology with a minor in Studio Art.

Her work is inspired by bright, bold colours and learning about their Métis heritage. Her work spans whimsical depictions of the human form, ethereal beings, and, more recently, learning about her Métis heritage in a different light. By blending vibrant colours with delicate linework, they embrace a playful yet introspective style, influenced by her bubbly personality and a keen eye for the abstract.

Nanami

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My favourite character: Kento. Created using ibisPaint.

Lucy

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Artwork.

Home, In Parting

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“Home, In Parting” is a poem created as part of the USask English 120 Introduction to Creative Writing course. The poem comprises three linked tankas, each following a syllabic pattern of 5-7-5-7-7.

"Untitled" (wand), "Untitled" (witch), and "An Unclear Portrait"

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Untitled (wand): A wand consisting of a bunch of textured areas, holding a large crystal eye. From top to bottom: wood, rope, moss, cracking sand, fur, magma, and stone.

Untitled (witch): A Halloween portrait of a self-persona as a witch.

An Unclear Portrait: A figure holds a frame with the inside of the frame blurred, while the outside has a cell-shading style to give contrast. It’s unclear who they are because they don’t know themselves. The work speaks to the uncertainty of one’s own identity and the feeling of being stuck in a box of uncertainty.

Untitled

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Artwork created with Procreate and iPad

"Here Comes the Red," "Beanie," "Us," and "Dance, Dance, Baby"

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My work explores the blurred space between sleep and wakefulness, where self and emotion intertwine in a nonlinear and unpredictable flow. Inspired by my surroundings, dreams, and personal experiences, I create fragmented imagery that captures the fleeting moments when consciousness and the subconscious merge.

Through layered colours and surreal compositions, I depict the intersection of reality and the unknown, revealing shifts in perception and the dissolution of boundaries. An elderly woman converses with a green goat, a sleeper grows red-rooted leaves, a vague silhouette stands before the Tower of Babel, and a distant figure lingers at the edge of a celebration—each scene forming a dialogue between different realms of existence.

In my work, dreams and reality intertwine, and emotions resonate with symbolism. I invite the viewer to step into this space between wakefulness and dreams, where the subconscious emerges and logic dissolves.

"Birds With Guns Background" and "The Orion Four"

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Artworks created with Aseprite Pixel Art Program

"The New-er Artist's Society (After Bellows)" and "Gazing Inward / Gazing Outward"

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The New-er Artist's Society (After Bellows): My second foray into waterless lithography, this is a study of George Bellows' 1923 'New Society Dinner Card', a stone lithograph printed for the meeting of an artists' group that he belonged to. I was instantly taken with the subject matter and had a great time trying new techniques.

Gazing Inward / Gazing Outward: Gazing Inward / Gazing Outward' is a diptych that speaks to the creative process- looking towards yourself or looking out into the world and to others for inspiration and strength.

Lejo Liimatainen is a third-year fine arts student specializing in drawing and printmaking, interested in figurative artwork of human and animal subjects. You can find more of their work on Instagram: @untilfurthern0tice.