For Hesquiaht artist Laura Lee Graves, painting has become more than a creative practice. It has been a way to heal, reconnect with herself, and share a story of resilience with others.
Graves is one of four Indigenous artists featured in A Gathering of Indigenous Voices, an exhibition at the VISAC Gallery in Trail, B.C., running from Sept. 14 to Oct 8. The exhibition brings together artists of Hesquiaht, Metis, Anishinaabe, and Cree ancestry and explores connections to land, culture, community, and personal experiences.
“I think this is a great achievement for myself,” Graves said. “It got me to step outside my comfort zone.”
Graves’ maternal grandmother, Delores Bayne, and her mother, Doreen Ambrose, were both from the Hesquiaht First Nation. Her father was Jim Graves. Laura shared that both of her parents have passed away, on the same day one year apart.
Graves spent approximately 30 years living in Nanaimo and Port Alberni. Her relationship with the West Coast continues to influence her artistic practice, particularly through her connection to water.
“All of my art is water-element based,” she said. “I really miss home.”
Her paintings are vibrant, eclectic, and personal, reflecting what Graves describes as a unique perspective on Indigenous art. Rather than attempting to fit into an established artistic style, she wanted to develop something that felt distinctly her own.
She said she initially had not yet found her artistic style. That began to change through her involvement with the gallery and through connections she made with other people through painting.
“I wanted it to be eclectic,” Graves said. “A new style that nobody has ever seen, vibrant colours, sentimental to not just myself, but the viewers.”
Graves’ path to painting was also shaped by a traumatic experience in her professional life.
She described that while working in specialized support care with people who have significant and complex needs, she was seriously injured after being physically attacked by a client.
She describes the incident as so severe she “almost died.”
The experience prompted Graves to dive into art.
“I needed art therapy,” she said.
Painting became part of her healing process, allowing her to work through what she had experienced while creating something that could ultimately be shared with others.
“It was a significant journey,” she said. “I’m glad I pulled through it, found healing in the journey and I’m able to share that journey with others and have them look at my paintings and have some significance.”
For Graves, however, she wants her art to inspire people. That sense of transformation is reflected in the exhibition itself. Graves has been working toward the show for approximately a year, investing her own money into canvases and other materials while developing a body of work that could be presented publicly.
She has also shared some of her artwork through monthly submissions to Ha-Shilth-Sa, continuing a relationship with the publication and its readers while developing her artistic practice.
Now living in Castlegar, Graves is less than 20 minutes from the Trail gallery, making the exhibition an opportunity to participate in the local arts community while remaining connected to her West Coast roots.
VISAC Gallery describes A Gathering of Indigenous Voices as an opportunity to celebrate Indigenous cultures, traditions, and stories while recognizing the land and waters of the Sinixt territory where the exhibition is being held. The gallery is located at 1501 Cedar Ave. in Trail, B.C., and is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. during the exhibition.
For Graves, the show is also a step toward what she hopes will become a larger artistic journey.
She would like to eventually bring her work back to the West Coast for another exhibition, reconnecting her art with the landscapes and waters that have inspired it.
“I would like to do a showing somewhere on the West Coast to feature art,” she said.
She is also exploring opportunities through the BC Arts Council, which she hopes will create new possibilities for grants and future exhibitions.
While Graves does not currently have a dedicated website, she is available by email for commissioned artwork, prints, and merchandise. Her work has also been reproduced on canvas bags, mousepads, hats, and other items.
Those interested in contacting Graves can reach her at ZimmeranL805@gmail.com
For an artist whose return to painting began as a response to injury, the canvases now represent something larger: a way to transform a difficult chapter into healing and creation. And maybe most importantly for Graves, a way to bring a piece of home with her wherever she goes.
