Lydia Brown

Biography

Lydia Brown is an artist of Coast Salish descent. Her ancestral name is Teethulwut. She was born in Snuneymuxw First Nation (Nanaimo, B.C). She primarily works in drawing and painting, exploring themes of growing up as Indigenous youth. In receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree she moves in and out of many different studios and mediums. After completing the BFA program she worked in a lot of behind-the-scenes studios and workspaces to explore different ways of being creative. Most recently canoe building has been a space for Lydia to strengthen her woodworking skills.

She looks to people and music in her life to influence the rhythm in her artwork. She is interested in performance and learning in hands-on environments and this informs a lot of the dialogues in her work. She likes making paintings where you get a sense of movement. The body informs so much of the dialogue behind dances in the longhouse and in pow wows. She became really interested in investigating forms in Coast Salish designs as if they were dancers.

Her interest in Coast Salish formline was strengthened after working with youth in her home community/ She paddled with youth in care between ages twelve to eighteen on a two-week canoe journey along the Pacific Northwest Coast. By witnessing traditional dances and songs from Indigenous peoples of different parts of the world, their voices quickly grew as they sang and drummed songs from their territories.