but when they awake, it will be the artists who bring back our culture.”

By far; the coolest part of my job is meeting amazing creative people and seeing their work, learning their story and witnessing the genuine humility they possess when it comes to their work. A few weeks ago I ran into the master painter, Dennis J. Webber, of the Metis nation, from Kelowna, British Columbia. Webber is fulfilling his ancestor’s prophecy, as an artist he is leading the revitalization of the Metis nation.

Weber is a Senior Member of the Canadian Institute of Portrait Artists and works out of his home studio, his preferred mediums are pencil, charcoal or oil. I got to see his oil paintings and they are truly captivating:

“When someone responds to my work, they often tell me it’s because it reminds them of a past experience, favourite place or someone they know. Creating a bridge between our common experiences is what I value most about the art I produce.”

When he’s not painting, teaching, searching for artifacts, photographing reference material or exhibiting his art, Dennis sits on the board of Kelowna’s Métis Children and Family Services.  He is represented by Turtle Island Gallery in Kelowna, Eagle Feather Gallery in Victoria and the Bay of Spirits Gallery in Toronto.

You can find more of Dennis’s work and learn more about him by clicking here. I am sure you will be as amazed as I am by his story and his wonderful work.

The Affluent Artist lesson from Dennis’s work is this: he has found and captured a “niche.” He isn’t all things to all people, he is the “Metis Artist Guy” in people’s minds. His work is distinctive and his brand is his own: no one will ever be able to compete with him in his space. That’s a business principal that works for everything from Harley Davidson to Krispy Kreme donuts. What is you niche? Do you have a brand?