Living near the lake is essential for Indigenous artist Rik Yannott, whose work often features a body of water. Yannott, 51, lives in Peshawbestown with Lake Michigan not far from home. Since he was in the seventh grade and started drawing, Yannott has taken inspiration from nature and his Anishinaabek heritage. Like in Anishinaabe teachings, water is sacred and gives life, and Yannott said it helps keep him connected with mother earth. His artwork isn’t just a form of creative expression, but is part of a healing process in life that he cherishes.
“The main thing about my art is the healing process. Some of my paintings are pretty deep — just having that time for myself, listening to my music and to powwow music, having that time, — that’s my healing,” Yannott said. “A lot of my paintings reflect where I’m from in Leelanau County. You’ll see lakes in my drawings and paintings… but I always try to include a body of water. I’ve tried to move away from here, but it’s always the water that’s brought me back — I have to be by the water.”
Yannott creates artwork depicting important aspects and traditions from his culture. From paintings portraying a sweat lodge, a sacred place of ceremony for cleansing and healing among indigenous people, to images of the Medicine Wheel/sacred circle, eagle feathers, lakes, and the Northern Lights across the night sky. He shares his art through various mediums including canvas, pen and pencil drawings, regalia, sculpture, birch bark and quillwork.
