AWKWARD
AWKWARD explores glowing transparency to trace an emotional journey through personal trauma connected to my experiences of obesity, Indigeneity, and queerness. I used Animal Symbol Transference, a process of emotional safekeeping through symbolism, to navigate these experiences. Creating this work challenged me to move through psychological paralysis, with pit stops in guilt and acceptance as I built a roadmap forward.
Translucent Metallic gold forms the base of my palette and is mixed into every colour, unifying the work through a warm glow that creates depth and luminous transparency, presenting a visual call to the key concept. The moose’s colossal size and expansive antlers echo my experience of navigating the world as an obese person. Constrained by the trolley, its body expresses the tension of occupying spaces that do not comfortably accommodate it. The moose holds these feelings for safekeeping, allowing me to approach them indirectly.
As a student and emerging artist, I use AWKWARD to develop my practice through material exploration, artistic research, and the vulnerability in personal growth. The project has helped me recognize the emotional motivations behind earlier works and better understand my recurring interest in beastly ungulates.
AWKWARD lives in the Executive Board Room at McMan Youth, Family and Community Services Association
Clinton Minault, AWKWARD, 2026, Acrylic on Canvas, 48’x60’’
kiskinwahamâkêw translates to female teacher in Cree. The older child in this composition is my cousin, Melody. I was fortunate to watch her teach her younger cousin traditional Fancy Jingle Dress dancing during a pow-wow on Enoch Cree Nation. This painting inspired the theme for Role Models, a series of paintings created for McMan Youth, Family and Community Services Association, to be displayed on their Reconciliation website.
Clinton Minault, kiskinwahamâkêw, 2026, Acrylic on Canvas, 36”x48”
on display at Peace Hills Trust
I am grateful for the opportunity to paint this portrait of Dallas Arcand as part of a collection of paintings titled Role Models for McMan Youth, Family and Community Services Association, to be displayed on their Reconciliation website. Arcand is a three-time World Champion Hoop Dancer from Alexander First Nation. Dallas is an instructor at the NIPAT program, teaching and mentoring Indigenous artists.
Dallas is a graduate of the Mount Royal University transfer program majoring in behavioural sciences and Indigenous history. He is also a graduate of the National Indigenous Professional Artist (NIPAT) program at En'owkin Centre, since 2020, has been an instructor at NIPAT, teaching and mentoring Indigenous artists. In early 2020, when the pandemic hit, on his Facebook page, Dallas started a free online fitness class and program called ‘Powwow Dance Aerobics’ PWDA. Arcand is a community role model. Check him out at www.dallasarcand.ca
Clinton Minault, Dallas Arcand, 2026, Acrylic on Lace, 24”x48”
on display at Peace Hills Trust
I am so proud to have had the opportunity to paint my friend, Jessa Sky, as part of a collection of paintings called Role Models, created for McMan Youth, Family and Community Services Association to be displayed on their Reconciliation website. Jessa is a Cree Pop Singer-Songwriter from Treaty 6 Territory who sings inspirational ballads about overcoming struggles. Jessa and I met long ago when we both studied the Medical Administration Program at Norquest College. Check out www.jessasky.com.
Clinton Minault, Jessa Sky, 2026, Acrylic on Textiles,30”x48
on display at Peace Hills Trust
Claire can be found around Edmonton fighting for equality. She works tirelessly, delivering food to the unhoused or helping in any way she can. Claire is one of the main organizers behind Pride Corner on Whyte Avenue. Claire is definitely a Role model worth looking up to.
Clinton Minault, Clairebear, 2026, Acrylic on canvas
sôhki translates to strength in Cree. Buffalo holds a deep history of sustaining the people of Turtle Island prior to the destructive culls of Colonialist Settlers. They narrate the importance of maintaining our delicate ecosystem to ensure the health of the land and the community upon it.
Clinton Minault, sôhki, Acrylic on textiles, 24”x48”
miyomaskikiiy translates to good energy in Cree. Watching young Indigenous Relay Racers compete during these energized events is vibrational. Skill and raw power and a deep connection and trust with the horse and rider is evident when these young folks fly through the air during the horse exchange. I painted this image atop heavily textured weaved textiles to emulate that connection and vibrational energy.
Clinton Minault, miyomaskikiiy, 2026, Acrylic on textiles.
wîyâs is a collection of my two-dimensional artworks that tell the stories of Métis histories, a journey close to my heart. At the center of my exploration is the Métis sash, a beautiful blend of Indigenous weaving techniques that incorporates wool from sheep brought over by European settlers. This sash is more than just a piece of cloth; it symbolizes the connections and alliances formed between Indigenous peoples and settlers, representing a shared history of cooperation that shaped early farming life.
As I near the end of my Studio Arts Studies, I felt compelled to push my creative boundaries. I set out to create a watercolour painting of the Meleagris gallopavo, or wild turkey. This extraordinary bird captures my fascination for its beauty and its practicality, serving as nourishment throughout history. I aim to convey its unique spirit and honour its significance in our lives.
The Métis sash also represents resilience and resourcefulness—it was used as a belt, a way to carry loads, and even a makeshift tourniquet or sewing kit during difficult times. To reflect this multifaceted legacy, I used a Gelli plate transfer technique to bring the sash to life in metallic tones. Each color carries profound meaning: blue for identity, red for the bloodshed our ancestors faced, green for fertility, white for connection to the earth and creator, yellow for prosperity, and black for the shadows that lingered after 1870.
ᐄᐧᔮᐢ wîyâs was displayed in Allard Hall during the summer of 2026.
Clinton Minault, mistiyâpew Unshaken, Acrylic on Recycled Media, 2025
Exhibited: 2025, Grant MacEwan University
In the private collection of Paul Stawnichy
mistiyâpew Unshaken was created with recycling materials, and the development of an amalgamation of learned mediums. Weaved of recyclable reusable shopping bags over a smorgasbord of wood, egg cartons, pop bottles, garden string and creativity. Painted utilizing the basic principles of color theory, creating neutral tones through the mixing of primary colors, predominantly unmixed, creating movement and contrast.
Clinton Minault, maskwa ᒫᐢᑿ, Acrylic on Recycled Clothing, 48”x 48”
Maskwa ᒫᐢᑿ resides at kihew waciston,
Exhibited at Art Gallery of Alberta, BYOB 2025
Maskwa ᒫᐢᑿ has transformed from mass-produced photography into an abstracted, surrealist textural pop-art colour-theory study, playing with unmixed neutrals. In Cree culture, the bear represents healing and strength. Spent clothing was ripped and woven to create the texture under the paint, drawing attention to the global impacts Fast Fashion and Consumerism have on our environment. Reclamation of Indigeneity through education motivates studies of nature.
A Metallic Study of Translucency, Opalescence and prismatic playfulness creating a daydream about a magical vessel that can transport your imagination through time to a simpler moment.
Clinton Minault, GayDream, Acrylic on Polyester (2025)
Clinton Minault. To a Park to Bite Kids (2024), Acrylic on Mixed Media, 24”x 36”
Visual Storytelling: My grouchy neighbour and my grouchy rescue dog made fast friends. They took long walks together and came back happy. When telling a friend about the exchange, they asked where they went on these walks. I could only imagine it was To a Park to Bite Kids.
Clinton Minault, Living among Wilderness,(2024), Acrylic on Canvas, 18”x 36”
Capturing that feeling we get when we encroach upon a wild animal in their habitat, and contemplating that they might feel the same disturbance we would.
Clinton Minault, Sunflower for Grandma, (2024). Acrylic on Sweater. 12”x12”.
in the private collection of Jean Stephens
A present for Grandma Jean, to remind her of all of the fun times we had playing in the garden together. She may have been first to teach me to paint.
Clinton Minault, Mias Manifested Horse (2023), Acrylic on Canvas, 24”x36”
In the private collection of Mia Bhardwaj.
A little girl was dreaming about a horse of her own. This painting kept the dream alive until it materialized.
Clinton Minault, Piglet Party, Acrylic on Canvas (2023), 18”x24”
in the private collection of Kath Oltsher
A friend’s beloved piglet was celebrating a birthday.
I wanted to share his joy.