About this Event
ALEX JANVIER ART
Workshop for Adults
📅 October 10, 2026 | 4:00–6:00 PM
📍 10 DEAN Cafe
- Acrylic Painting | All levels welcome
- All materials provided
- Guided by art instructor Louis Sobol
- Complimentary tea & coffee
Join us for an inspiring afternoon of color, movement and contemporary First Nations Canadian art as we explore the extraordinary work of Alex Janvier, one of Canada's most important First Nations modernist artists.
Janvier was Denesuline from Cold Lake First Nations in Alberta and a member of the Professional Native Indian Artists Inc., often known as the Indian Group of Seven. He became one of the pioneers of contemporary Indigenous art in Canada, developing a highly personal abstract style that combined vibrant colour and flowing lines with influences from his Denesuline and Saulteaux heritage. His visual language was also influenced by traditional beadwork, quillwork and hide painting, as well as modern artists such as Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky.
One of Janvier's most spectacular works is Morning Star – Gambeh Then’, created in 1993 for the Canadian Museum of History. The monumental circular mural covers approximately 418 square metres (4,500 square feet) and rises seven storeys above the museum's Grand Hall. Its radiating forms and brilliant colours are inspired in part by traditional Dene porcupine-quill patterns and represent the diversity and interconnectedness of First Nations cultures.
Janvier's paintings are especially fascinating because abstract does not mean meaningless. His colours, lines and shapes can suggest land, water, sky, stars, plants, animals, memories and stories. Janvier himself described his inspiration as coming from the land, sky, stars, moon, sun, water, people, animals, music and ancient stories. His art invites us to look at colour not simply as decoration, but as a way of expressing memory, identity and connection to the natural world.
In this workshop
Inspired by Janvier's joyful use of bright colour, organic shapes and expressive lines, Louis will guide you step by step as you create your own contemporary abstract artwork.
✨ Explore colour and movement
✨ Experiment with flowing lines and organic forms
✨ Learn how to build a balanced abstract composition
✨ Create a vibrant acrylic painting inspired by Janvier's artistic language
✨ Take your finished artwork home
Come discover an artist whose work transformed the way First Nations art was seen in Canada — and let color, movement and your own imagination guide your brush.
Sometimes a painting does not need to show a landscape to make us feel connected to the land. It can do it through colour, rhythm and movement.
Event venue & nearby stays
484 Spadina Ave., 484 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Canada
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.