The Road to Your Name Podcast

THE ROAD TO YOUR NAME / Yoha:te ne kahsen:na
Episode 10 — Shayde Sandy:  Portraiture, and the Metrolinx Bus Wrap
This episode was recorded in November 2025

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In this episode of The Road to Your Name, host Lisa VanEvery sits down with Shayde Sandy, a Haudenosaunee multidisciplinary artist from Six Nations of the Grand River who specializes in oil portraits. Shayde shares her journey from painting at her grandmother's kitchen table to earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) at Queen's University, and how she found her signature medium and subject: oil portraits centering on her family and community. The conversation traces her creative evolution from acrylics to oils, her thesis portrait of her grandfather, and the moment her work — a piece from her Intergenerational Love series featuring her grandfather, brother, and cousin — was selected to wrap a Metrolinx GO bus for National Indigenous History Month. Shayde and Lisa also talk about the artists who've shaped her practice, the realities of building an art business as a young Indigenous artist, and what community encouragement means to her along the way.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

- Growing up surrounded by art — Shayde's grandmother's early encouragement and her father's work as a soapstone carver
- The path from Brantford Collegiate Institute to Queen's University's Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) program
- Learning printmaking techniques (silkscreen, intaglio, lithography) and why oil painting became her medium of choice
- Her process: photo references, projector sketches, blocking in color, and layering detail
- Painting as therapy, and working through long stretches of solitary studio time
- The thesis portrait of her grandfather that became part of her ongoing Intergenerational Love series
- Designing the Metrolinx GO bus wrap — the first Indigenous-designed bus wrap for National Indigenous History Month
- Public exhibitions at Casa Loma, the Runway of Resilience, and an upcoming group exhibition, Spirit of the Lake, at Crawford Lake
- Artistic influences: Kent Monkman, Kehinde Wiley, and subway-portrait artist Devon Rodriguez
- Building an online presence and using social media to document her process and reach an audience
- The business side of being a working artist — commissions, grants, merchandise, and the path toward a website
- Advice for young Indigenous artists starting out, and the role of community encouragement

GUEST BIO

Shayde Sandy is a contemporary Haudenosaunee artist from Six Nations of the Grand River, specializing in oil portraiture. She graduated from Queen's University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours), majoring in Visual Art and minoring in Film.  Her grandmother, Lois Porter, was her first art teacher, and she grew up surrounded by artistic relatives, including her father, noted soapstone carver Ryan Sandy.

Shayde's art is largely about her life and experience on the reserve, a focus that developed while she was studying at Queen's. Her ongoing series, Intergenerational Love, highlights the love within her community, and features members of her own family. In 2025, Metrolinx selected Shayde to design the first Indigenous GO bus wrap as part of its National Indigenous History Month celebrations; the wrap is based on a 2022 painting from that series and will remain in circulation across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area for one year.

Shayde's work has been exhibited at venues including Martin Luther University College, Queen's University, FirstOntario Arts Centre, Woodland Cultural Centre, Hamilton Artists Inc., Lynnwood Arts, Casa Loma, the Canadian National Exhibition, the Government of Ontario Art Collection, and Crawford Lake. She has also been featured in Queen's Women in Leadership Magazine, in APTN's social media coverage of Indigenous History Month, and in Seeing Red Media's "Reflecting Authentic Indigenous Representation" campaign. Her work appears in the Yellowhead Institute's report Twenty-Five Years of Gladue, and she illustrated the cover for the book Dream Visitors by Barbara Miller.

You can find Shayde's work on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok under Shayde Sandy Art
Website:  www.shaydesandyart.ca
 

RESOURCES MENTIONED

- Aboriginal Legal Services — www.aboriginallegal.ca
- Road to Your Name program (Aboriginal Legal Services)
- Shayde Sandy Art — Instagram / Facebook / TikTok
- Metrolinx GO bus wrap (National Indigenous History Month)
- Intergenerational Love (Shayde Sandy's ongoing portrait series)
- Spirit of the Lake — upcoming group exhibition at Crawford Lake
- Casa Loma, Toronto — Runway of Resilience event
- Kent Monkman — artist referenced as an influence
- Kehinde Wiley — artist referenced as an influence
- Devon Rodriguez — subway/street portrait artist referenced as an influence
- Edward Curtis - photographer discussed for "stoic Indian" portraiture style
- Kyle Joedicke — muralist, Shayde's cousin
- Ryan Sandy — soapstone carver, Shayde's father

---
Produced by Aboriginal Legal Services with technical assistance from True Seed Media.
Hosted by Lisa VanEvery (Mohawk Nation, Wolf Clan).

Creators and Guests

Host
Lisa VanEvery
Lisa has worked for Aboriginal Legal Services for sixteen years. She began hosting the Road To Your Name Podcast in December 2020.

What is The Road to Your Name Podcast?

The Road To Your Name Podcast series grew out of a program started by Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) in 2016 that helped people going through the justice system and their families to strengthen and deepen their cultural connections. Host, Lisa VanEvery, examines many aspects of Haudenosaunee culture and teachings with a wide range of guests.

Road To Your Name Podcast
Season 8, Episode 10
Guest: Shayde Sandy, visual artist
This episode was recorded in November 2025
===
Intro:
[00:00:00] Lisa: Greetings everyone. Welcome to our Yohá:te ne kahsén:na : The Road to Your Name podcast, focusing on Haudenosaunee cultural topics recorded on Haudenosaunee territory.

These podcasts are produced by Aboriginal Legal Services with the technical assistance of True Seed Media. My name is Lisa VanEvery from the Mohawk Nation and the Wolf Clan. I'm the coordinator of the Yoha:te ne kahsen:na, the Road to Name program, and the host of the podcast.

This is the Yohá:te ne kahsén:na : The Road to Your Name podcast series.

Guest on this episode of Yoha:te ne kahsen:na: The Road to Your Name podcast is Shayde Sandy. Shayde is a Haudenosaunee multidisciplinary artist from Six Nations, specializing in oil portraits. I hope that's right. I know she does a lot of different things that she'll share with us. one of the things that I wanted her to talk about is her Metrolinx wrapped bus.

So welcome to the podcast, Shayde.

[00:01:43] Shayde: Hi, Lisa. Thank you.

[00:01:45] Lisa: It's so great to have you here. I know you've done, Road to Your Name workshops with us in the past-

Shayse: Yes.

Lisa: Yeah ... for our Road to Your Name program, and you did an art workshop that was really enjoyed by all the participants.

[00:01:58] Shayde: That's awesome.

[00:01:58] Lisa: Yeah. so let's talk about all the things that you're doing in the art world.

First, let's talk about your, education in art. When did you wanna be an artist or follow that path?

[00:02:13] Shayde: honestly my whole life I've been really artistic. like ever since I was a young girl, my grandma actually, she pushed me along to pursue my art a lot of the time. and after school I would go to her house and I'd be painting and drawing like every day.

and at Oliver M. Smith too, they had a lot of, cultural activities and like art stuff for us to do, so I was really involved there. and then I went to Brantford Collegiate Institute.

And that's where I got more into the arts again, learning more about like theory and stuff. they have like really good art programs there.

[00:02:57] Lisa: Oh, at the high school?

[00:02:58] Shayde: Yeah. Oh. not programs, but classes.

[00:03:00] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:03:01] Shayde: yeah, they're really like involved in the arts and drama too. but yeah, there I started to get into acrylics more and drawing. I've always been more of a 2D artist.

[00:03:17] Lisa: What's that, 2D?

[00:03:18] Shayde: Two-dimensional? 2D, yeah, like flat surface.

Oh, okay. Yeah. Not like a sculpture. Oh, yeah. Yeah, like 3D.

[00:03:25] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:03:27] Shayde: but yeah, there I started to learn more about theory and like portraiture, more realism. so I started to I guess, I never really knew what I wanted to go to school for, but I've always been so involved in art. So in high school, I decided I wanna take that on through to university too.

so I applied to Queen's University-

[00:03:58] Lisa: Yeah ...

[00:03:58] Shayde: for their fine art program.

And, yeah, I got into their Bachelor of Fine Arts Honors program, and they only accept, 30 people.

[00:04:09] Lisa: Wow.

[00:04:10] Shayde: Which I did not know that at the time.

So once I was in it, I learned that, and I was like, wow. I'm like, I'm really honored to be here.

[00:04:17] Lisa: Did you have to give them a portfolio of things you'd done in the past?

[00:04:22] Shayde: yeah. You had to give a portfolio of, 20 artworks.

[00:04:27] Lisa: Wow,

[00:04:27] Shayde: that's a

[00:04:27] Lisa: lot.

[00:04:28] Shayde: yeah. And it was a lot of just, high school projects I had done. I never really had, like certain themes or anything found out yet. I kinda was just, learning still.

[00:04:41] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:04:41] Shayde: But, yeah, they enjoyed my work, and they took me in.

[00:04:46] Lisa: That's great.

[00:04:48] Shayde: but yeah. And then-

[00:04:49] Lisa: And so can you explain what different things you would learn in high school art than what you would learn in university art?

Is it more technical they get into in university?

[00:05:05] Shayde: Yeah. in high school it was more learning the basics, like color theory and, sketching, and just, the really, basic basics. but once I got to university, it was a lot more in depth, and you already had to know that stuff.

[00:05:27] Lisa: Oh, yeah.

[00:05:28] Shayde: They did teach you it too, but it's like it was better if you knew it to an extent. but in my first year, they would break up the program into sections. first semester it would be painting and drawing, and then second semester it would be, sculpture and printmaking.

[00:05:51] Lisa: Oh, yeah.

[00:05:52] Shayde: Yeah. So then they would get, really in depth, and we would have different professors for each practice.

but yeah, that's... I guess also for painting, I've only ever did acrylic in high school.

But once I got to university, that's when I learned about oil paint, and I really loved it.

[00:06:12] Lisa: What was what did you like about oil painting?

[00:06:17] Shayde: I think you can really capture, realism.

[00:06:22] Lisa: Yeah?

[00:06:22] Shayde: Yeah. with acrylic, it's more It dries really quickly, so you can't, blend and have that, smooth composition that you would hope for. but yeah, with oil paint you can really blend and also-

[00:06:38] Lisa: You can do 3D, like a texture too, can't you?

[00:06:41] Shayde: Yeah. With oil. Yeah. Acrylic too, you can do that as well, but yeah, oil paint is really versatile.

and then the color range is a lot broader, I would say.

[00:06:54] Lisa: Oh, yeah?

[00:06:54] Shayde: Yeah. So I feel like that's what I'm loving now in my practice is color. I really enjoy working with color, yeah, oil paint just has a lot of versatility, Yeah.

[00:07:12] Lisa: so did you have to go four years there?

[00:07:14] Shayde: Yeah. Yeah?

[00:07:15] Lisa: Oh, wow, that's a long- Yeah ... art program. You must have produced a lot of works during that time, huh?

[00:07:21] Shayde: Yeah. The first and second year was a lot of just, learning. 'Cause even in sculpture, like I learned a lot of things I've never done before. in printmaking that was ... I do love printmaking too, but you do need a lot of tools and stuff.

Like a studio with all the tools ready for you, I learned silk screen printing, intaglio, and lithography. Oh, wow. And those are, they're all very different.

[00:07:53] Lisa: Yeah?

[00:07:53] Shayde: Yeah. like silk screen is like you use a screen, and you like wipe ink on it, and you swipe it.

And you could do like a lot of layers.

intaglio is, you work with a copper plate.

[00:08:09] Lisa: And

[00:08:09] Shayde: you Like scratch in the design that you're doing, and you also use like acid baths to develop different layers and-

[00:08:21] Lisa: Wow.

[00:08:21] Shayde: Yeah. It's really- That sounds complicated. Yes. Very complex. And then lithography is working with a big stone, and you would draw on it, and it's a lot of like chemicals to make the image show up, and then like running that through a press.

[00:08:38] Lisa: Oh, yeah.

[00:08:38] Shayde: So they're all very different. and I hope to get into that a bit more in the future, but I just... Oil painting is just a lot easier and more available to me,

[00:08:50] Lisa: Oh, yeah.

[00:08:51] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:08:51] Lisa: So that's what you're focusing on now.

[00:08:53] Shayde: Yeah, pretty much.

[00:08:55] Lisa: how long ago did you graduate?

[00:08:58] Shayde: I graduated in 2023.

[00:09:00] Lisa: Oh, okay. Yeah. So now did you go right into your, business, opening your art business?

[00:09:06] Shayde: Yes.

[00:09:07] Lisa: Oh,

[00:09:07] Shayde: that's great. I tr- I tried anyways. And I'm still trying. Yeah, I started off pretty slow. I've, I really did enjoy portraiture, so I was like, "I'll just start accepting commissions of portraits of like people in my community."

[00:09:25] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:09:27] Shayde: and I like started with my family first-

just to kinda get a portfolio going. and yeah, I still do that to this day. That's one of my main things that I do for the people in my community. but yeah.

[00:09:47] Lisa: I know I saw, the portrait you did of your, grandfather, and it was realistic looking.

[00:09:57] Shayde: Yes.

[00:09:58] Lisa: Yeah. It was, Did you do that from a sitting, or did you do that from a photograph, or how do you work?

[00:10:06] Shayde: so that work was actually done as my like thesis. finishing up school. I wanted to focus on my community. I was just really missing home.

[00:10:19] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:10:20] Shayde: And I had found that picture of my grandpa, and I just loved like how stoic he looks.

[00:10:25] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:10:26] Shayde: And, so yeah, I like, I usually will use photo references.

and that was a older picture. I'm not even sure who took that picture, but, I... And then I like will take that picture, cut it out with Procreate.

[00:10:45] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:10:45] Shayde: And then I kinda just, Do whatever design that I want in the background. Okay.

And I kinda just like mess around in Procreate and see what works.

[00:10:56] Lisa: Oh, yeah.

[00:10:56] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:10:58] Lisa: And how... Like, how do you paint? Do you s- do you just s- sit down and do it all at once, or do you... how does that work?

Or do you like to take your time?

[00:11:11] Shayde: Yes. I feel like I do take a while to do things.

[00:11:15] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:11:16] Shayde: I guess the work of my grandpa, that was during school time- Yeah

so it was a lot of like very much crunch time for that work, and I'm surprised how well it turned out. but yeah, when I work, I would say there's like a lot of s- different stages, 'cause I always try to figure out my photo reference first. And then once I have that situated, I will like, I often use like a projector to get like a base-

like a sketch going, But just like a very vague outline. I don't go into the details too much. It's just so I can get the realism as accurate as I hope.

and then The way I learned in school is, we block in colors. So I would do my outline, and then I block in each different color.

[00:12:11] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:12:12] Shayde: And then you kinda let that dry, and then you go back in and you add all the details and stuff.

[00:12:18] Lisa: Oh, yeah.

[00:12:19] Shayde: but definitely a lot of, layering and going back into things and, yeah. And

[00:12:24] Lisa: do you find, it's relaxing when you're painting? Are you relaxed?

[00:12:29] Shayde: Yes.

[00:12:30] Lisa: Yeah?

[00:12:30] Shayde: Yeah. I would say painting is, my therapy.

[00:12:35] Lisa: That's great that you can go to therapy and, your job at the same day.

[00:12:40] Shayde: Yes.

[00:12:42] Lisa: what about, you have your own studio now, Yeah. How is your creative space, like, how did you cr- what's in it? What's the vibe in your creative space?

[00:12:57] Shayde: honestly, it can be cha- a little bit chaotic at times.

[00:13:00] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:13:01] Shayde: Just depending on, what I'm working on. I try to work on more than one thing at once, but I kinda struggle with that. I would say it's hard for me to, Switch

[00:13:15] Lisa: gears?

[00:13:15] Shayde: Yeah. It's hard. I'm trying to be better at that, but, Or sometimes I'll have, markets going on, so it'll be, like, a bit chaotic getting prints ready or, like-

[00:13:27] Lisa: Oh, yeah

[00:13:27] Shayde: organizing stuff. So that's when things will get a little ...

[00:13:29] Lisa: And do you sell online?

[00:13:31] Shayde: No. No. But I'm hoping to get a website very soon. Oh, good. I'm just working on some grants and things.

[00:13:38] Lisa: Oh, that's really

[00:13:39] Shayde: good.

[00:13:39] Lisa: Yeah. Oh, yeah, do you play music when you paint?

Or do you like silence?

[00:13:48] Shayde: No. Oh my gosh, not silence.

Definitely not silence. I think I more so watch a lot of podcasts, or I guess listen.

[00:13:58] Lisa: Oh, yeah, you're listening to people talking-

[00:14:00] Shayde: Yes ...

[00:14:00] Lisa: about something when you're painting.

[00:14:01] Shayde: Yeah. Oh,

[00:14:02] Lisa: that's interesting.

[00:14:03] Shayde: Yeah. I think, I will listen to music, occasionally, but, I don't know. It helps me, think more when

It's like I need everything stimulated at once- ... 'cause then it helps me just, kinda block everything out.

[00:14:19] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:14:19] Shayde: When wi- with music, it kinda makes me, like-

[00:14:23] Lisa: Wanna dance?

[00:14:24] Shayde: Yeah. Or, I don't know. Do something else? Or if it's, a sad song, it'll make me, overthink or something. I don't know. Oh, yeah. It's hard.

Yeah. It's just hard to be alone sometimes too. I'm al- alone a lot of the time, so-

I think listening to podcasts is better 'cause it makes me feel like someone's there with me too.

[00:14:43] Lisa: Yeah, that's interesting.

[00:14:44] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:14:44] Lisa: So when you're doing, let's talk about the bus- project, because that was really exciting and, I didn't see it in, in real life, but I did see photographs of- of the Metrolinx bus. How did that project come about?

[00:15:01] Shayde: well- I think Metrolinx started working with council. I think they reached out to them to ask about artists that they could work with. Oh, yeah. and my name got sent along.

So then they were like, "Oh, you should apply." So then I applied, and then I got it.

[00:15:22] Lisa: That's great. Yeah. So explain what you put on the bus.

[00:15:26] Shayde: Yeah. I guess like I was like in talks with Metrolinx, and they... Like I was kinda like, "What do you guys want?" Or what's the vibe?"

and they had looked at my page or something, and they had already seen a work that I had done previously, and they wanted to m- me to kinda work with that.

and it's my work, Intergenerational Love, or I guess that's the series it's a part of. But in the painting it has my grandpa, my brother, and my cousin.

[00:16:02] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:16:04] Shayde: and it's kinda just like a portrait of them like hanging out, and then the background's like a woodland art style.

[00:16:11] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:16:12] Shayde: and that was another work I did during school in my, I think it was my second year or third year.

but yeah, it's a really big work on its own. It's four by five feet. But-

[00:16:27] Lisa: Wow. Yeah.

that's huge.

[00:16:30] Shayde: But I basically I just worked with that preexisting artwork, but I had to transfer it to, a Procreate file, and work like with a graphic design.

so I tried to keep like the portrait the same, but I kinda had to move the branches along that are like surrounding them, and kinda change it up a bit so it could stretch along the bus.

[00:16:58] Lisa: Oh, yeah.

[00:16:59] Shayde: Yeah. and then I also had to figure out like a kind of a design for the back of the bus too.

[00:17:09] Lisa: So is that bus still driving around somewhere?

[00:17:11] Shayde: Yeah. Yeah. It's supposed to be for like the next year.

[00:17:17] Lisa: Oh, that's great.

[00:17:18] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:17:20] Lisa: and what other kind of like projects have you done like that?

Any other ones?

[00:17:32] Shayde: Like public art?

[00:17:33] Lisa: Yeah, public art

Do you like doing that kind of thing?

[00:17:39] Shayde: Yeah, it's nice. I don't think I've really done that, honestly.

[00:17:44] Lisa: Have you done exhibitions, public exhibitions of your

[00:17:47] Shayde: work? Yeah.

[00:17:48] Lisa: Yeah?

[00:17:48] Shayde: Yep.

[00:17:49] Lisa: Are those nice to do?

[00:17:50] Shayde: Yeah. Yep, I've worked with The Woodland a lot of the times. Oh, yeah. Like exhibiting there.

I've exhibited twice at The Casa Loma now. Oh. That

[00:18:00] Lisa: was super cool. that's a huge, place in-

[00:18:03] Shayde: Yes ...

[00:18:03] Lisa: in Toronto, right?

[00:18:04] Shayde: Yep. I was just there recently for the Runway of Resilience.

So that was super cool, and I got to set up for a market there too.

[00:18:13] Lisa: Oh, yeah.

[00:18:13] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:18:14] Lisa: Oh, that's good. so with the art, with, the oil paints, do you ever do artwork that's, incorporates other things, like that could be 3D?

What do they call that? mixed media. Mixed media art. Are you into that?

[00:18:36] Shayde: Like textured and like that?

[00:18:39] Lisa: Like if you put something totally different on your artwork, like a sculpture some- something or-

[00:18:44] Shayde: Oh ...

[00:18:45] Lisa: like combining different things.

[00:18:47] Shayde: Yeah. not too much. No? No. I've done like a sunset painting. I have this one that I sell a lot of the times, it's called Meet Me at Sundown, and it has like really textured water.

but no, not too much. I definitely do wanna do more of that though, but I've just, I've been kinda slacking on my own ideas lately. I keep like producing for like businesses and, like my commissions and stuff, but I really need to start like getting back into my own-

[00:19:22] Lisa: Oh, yeah ...

[00:19:23] Shayde: style. Yeah.

[00:19:23] Lisa: What are your plans for the future then, like for your, business?

[00:19:30] Shayde: right now I'm just trying to get a website hopefully.

Yeah, 'cause I, it's, just kinda hard working from one commission to the next. It's like- Yeah ... yeah, like I don't really have a steady income necessarily.

[00:19:48] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:19:49] Shayde: Are you

[00:19:49] Lisa: a starving artist?

[00:19:51] Shayde: Oh, God. Honestly, not too far off. That word haunts me.

[00:19:58] Lisa: Most artists, that's what, they just love their work.

[00:20:03] Shayde: Yep.

[00:20:03] Lisa: Yeah, they get so rewarded from their work-

that, that the economic part is like secondary sometimes.

[00:20:12] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:20:13] Lisa: Yeah. But sometimes that has to be like the thing you're focused on.

[00:20:17] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:20:19] Lisa: So the website will probably help you a lot.

like what about branching out? Like you've, you do prints on canvas, right? do you do stickers? You do stickers. what other kinds of things can you do?

[00:20:38] Shayde: yeah, I'm hoping to have, more merchandise.

[00:20:42] Lisa: What about T-shirts? Yeah. Your art on T-shirts, cups. I've been, purchasing for years, indigenous art on my glasses.

[00:20:54] Shayde: Oh, really?

[00:20:54] Lisa: Yeah. Oh,

[00:20:55] Shayde: that's

[00:20:55] Lisa: cool. Donald Craig Chen is an, artist, and he does, glasses art.

[00:21:02] Shayde: Oh, whoa.

[00:21:03] Lisa: Yeah, so there's so many things that artists can, develop, like product, right?

So- Yeah ... that could be available to people. You just gotta, I guess brainstorm.

[00:21:21] Shayde: Yeah.

Yeah, I have stickers. just recently I got some postcards.

[00:21:28] Lisa: Oh, nice.

[00:21:28] Shayde: Yeah, and some, greeting cards.

Yeah, so I'm, like, trying to expand to more, tangible things. Yeah. 'Cause sometimes people aren't that, willing to, buy art- Yeah ... just, on, to put on their wall, Yeah. They wanna be able to, wear it or-

[00:21:47] Lisa: Wearable art, yeah.

[00:21:48] Shayde: Yeah. For

[00:21:49] Lisa: sure. And we do have some really, good T-shirt, places on the res, right- Yeah ... that are creating their own T-shirts, and I see them all over. I pe- I see people wearing them all over the place. Yeah.

[00:22:04] Shayde: Great. Yep, it's inspiring me.

[00:22:06] Lisa: Yeah. So what other kind of things inspire you, when you're, an artist?

[00:22:17] Shayde: I feel like I definitely got into portraiture because of, like during my time in university, I started to learn... I had to take a lot of art history courses.

[00:22:27] Lisa: Oh, yeah? Was that interesting?

[00:22:29] Shayde: Yeah. Yeah, so 'cause I've never been an artist who Like, I just loved art in general, but I've never been like, "Oh my God, I love that artist," or like- Yeah

I've never really been like that. But being in university and taking art history, I learned about a lot of, different types of artists and, specifically portraiture and, appropriation artists.

And so I came across Kent Monkman.

[00:22:59] Lisa: Oh yeah, Kent Monkman.

[00:23:00] Shayde: Yes, love his work.

And also Kehinde Wiley.

Oh, yeah. I think that's how you say it. he's, a Black artist.

And he does the same vibes as Kent Monkman. They will, take ideas, preexisting ideas, and put their world into it.

[00:23:21] Lisa: Stand them on their head.

[00:23:22] Shayde: Yeah. Yeah. Appropriation art, they say.

[00:23:24] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:23:25] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:23:25] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:23:26] Shayde: Yeah. So f- finding them, it really inspired me to take that route and do more portraitsh- portrait art of our people, just 'cause I think, portraiture is more a Westernized idea,

[00:23:44] Lisa: Yeah, who was that artist that used to paint... It was a non-Indigenous artist, used to p- his last name was Curtis, I think.

[00:23:53] Shayde: I

[00:23:53] Lisa: don't know. He used to paint the stoic Indian, right? Oh,

[00:23:57] Shayde: really?

[00:23:57] Lisa: Yeah. Oh,

[00:23:58] Shayde: I don't know.

[00:23:59] Lisa: I can't remember his first name, though. But yeah, portraits are really great. I love art and I, I found this one artist on Facebook.

His na- He's a Puerto Rican artist from New York City named Devon Rodriguez. Did you ever hear of him?

[00:24:22] Shayde: Oh, is he the one that, will go on the bus and,

[00:24:24] Lisa: paint- Yeah, he goes on the subway ...

[00:24:26] Shayde: people or draw people?

[00:24:27] Lisa: Yeah. Yes. On the subway.

[00:24:28] Shayde: Yep.

[00:24:29] Lisa: that's how he started. That's how he, he, nurtured his gift, I guess- was on the subway system. Yes. And, and he would post these videos of him drawing these random people on the subway, and he said that's how he got better at- Oh, yeah ... at doing art. And now he's really, evolved into, traveling the world.

And I think he likes watercolors. He does sketching- Yeah

and watercolors.

And then every once in a while he'll, put up a watercolor, and he'll say, "There's only so many prints," or you buy it in 24 hours, he'll make that many prints, and he'll never sell it again.

[00:25:13] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:25:14] Lisa: And I like that aspect of it, buying a numbered print.

I thought, one of these days I'm gonna own a Devon Rodriguez.

[00:25:23] Shayde: Yes.

[00:25:24] Lisa: Yeah. Yeah. and so the day finally came where I did own a Devon Rodriguez, so- Oh, really? I j- yeah, I just got it- Oh my goodness ... framed and hung up.

[00:25:33] Shayde: That's awesome.

[00:25:33] Lisa: Yeah. So that's an artist that I really like because I've watched him evolve.

And he's shown his evolution on social media.

Is that something you're interested in?

[00:25:46] Shayde: Yes. I think just starting my business, I was like, how do I reach, like anyone? How do I reach an audience or my people?

I just kinda started posting my process and stuff online, and that's what I do with my portraits. Every portrait I do, I'll take like clips as I'm doing it, and then I'll do a final video for each portrait I do.

[00:26:15] Lisa: Oh, that's great.

[00:26:15] Shayde: Yeah. So it's definitely good for like promo.

[00:26:21] Lisa: So do you have to, did you have to learn how to do all that too, like the social media techniques?

[00:26:27] Shayde: I

[00:26:27] Lisa: don't- Or do you have help with that?

[00:26:29] Shayde: No, I don't know. I've always been really involved, like in social media. Oh, yeah. Ever since I was, like younger.

I, like when I was in high school, I would make these vlogs. Like just for fun with my friends. yeah. I don't know. I've always loved to record and post stuff- Oh, yeah ... and be online.

and I also took, film as my minor in school, which I guess I didn't really learn any hands-on filming though.

It was more so theory.

[00:27:04] Lisa: Oh, yeah. '

[00:27:04] Shayde: Cause you have to be a major to like, do the more hands-on things.

but yeah, I don't know. I've always been online and recording myself for a really long time.

[00:27:17] Lisa: that's good. Yeah. Those are good skills to have, especially in this, digital world we live in.

Yeah,

[00:27:23] Shayde: for sure.

[00:27:24] Lisa: Yeah, are you working on any portraits right now?

[00:27:33] Shayde: not really.

[00:27:34] Lisa: What are you working on now?

[00:27:36] Shayde: I'm working on this painting for, Crawford Lake.

Yeah, it's near... It's like Holton region. There's a lake out there. Yeah, they have a longhouse

[00:27:46] Lisa: there.

[00:27:47] Shayde: Yes. Yep, that's the one. there's an exhibit happening in the new year.

They like, picked some native artists to do, works for Crawford Lake, and it's, the exhibit's called Spirit of the Lake.

[00:28:02] Lisa: Oh, nice.

[00:28:03] Shayde: Yeah. So just working on a landscape right now. Yeah.

[00:28:07] Lisa: you're getting well known,

[00:28:09] Shayde: Yes. Yep. Yeah, that was more so because of Race Guy. I like, connected with him like, a year ago.

and he's been working with them, and then he put in a word for me, so then now we're all out there.

[00:28:27] Lisa: Oh, that's really great.

[00:28:28] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:28:29] Lisa: And branching out, like you could do... I don't know if this would be a trend, but wall murals in homes. Yeah. You think that'll be a trend one of these days?

I love to go into some place and see a wall mural, or even out in public in a downtown, to see a wall mu- or like a mural on the side of a building or something.

[00:28:51] Shayde: Yeah. Yeah. I know I've been asked to do murals, but I've never tried because it's, I don't know- I don't know. I've never done one before, and I mainly work with oil paint, and I think a lot of the times it's, more so acrylic- Yeah

I'm assuming that people work with. but I don't know. It is something I wanna try one day, but I think I, I need to, know more to feel more confident in doing that.

[00:29:20] Lisa: Oh, yeah.

[00:29:21] Shayde: Maybe

[00:29:21] Lisa: start with a small wall.

[00:29:23] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:29:24] Lisa: Somewhere.

[00:29:24] Shayde: Yeah. And I, in my family, my cousin Kyle Jodick, he's a muralist.

[00:29:32] Lisa: Oh, yeah.

[00:29:32] Shayde: And he does a lot of that, and I've, tried to kinda get some advice from him, but he's super busy.

but yeah, hopefully one day I can.

[00:29:41] Lisa: there's so much when you're talking about art. Are there any places you'd like to go to see, different art?

[00:29:54] Shayde: I don't know. I feel like, I guess always like when I'm in a big city, like in New York, I checked out some of their museums out there.

so that was really cool. There was that like Native one. I can't remember the names. And then the museum of-

[00:30:14] Lisa: The Smithsonian, the Native

[00:30:16] Shayde: Smithsonian? Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

I went there.

[00:30:18] Lisa: That's a great museum.

[00:30:19] Shayde: Yeah. And then there was the more modern art museum. I'm really bad. I, don't ever remember names. Yeah. But yeah, it was nice to see like the different artwork there. Or sometimes when I go to Toronto too, like I get to check out, the AGO sometimes. Oh,

[00:30:37] Lisa: yeah.

[00:30:37] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:30:39] Lisa: And even the one in, Hamilton, sometimes they do indigenous exhibits.

[00:30:44] Shayde: Yeah. Yep, I was there last year sometime. My dad had a work in there.

[00:30:51] Lisa: Oh, yeah.

[00:30:51] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:30:52] Lisa: Your dad's Ryan Sandy.

[00:30:53] Shayde: Yes, my dad Ryan Sandy.

[00:30:55] Lisa: Yeah, he's a great, world-renowned, soapstones, carver.

[00:31:00] Shayde: Yes. Yeah.

yep.

[00:31:02] Lisa: His work is amazing.

[00:31:03] Shayde: Yes.

[00:31:05] Lisa: I bet he's proud of you to become an artist.

[00:31:08] Shayde: Yeah. Yeah, he definitely gave me my abilities, for sure.

but we have always been in like kinda different areas.

[00:31:19] Lisa: Yeah, different genres of art.

[00:31:21] Shayde: Yeah, like he's more 3D sculpture, and I'm 2D.

[00:31:26] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:31:28] Shayde: and like growing up, I didn't really... we never really talked about it that much.

He didn't really get back into it until more recently.

yeah, I guess now that we're both like in the business-

[00:31:42] Lisa: Yeah ...

[00:31:42] Shayde: we do talk once in a while or give each other advice and stuff. But, yeah.

[00:31:48] Lisa: Maybe even a collaboration in the future.

[00:31:51] Shayde: Yeah. I know. Yeah, I don't know. Yeah.

We'll have to see.

[00:31:56] Lisa: Yeah. or you could paint one of his sculptures. True. That'd be interesting.

[00:32:02] Shayde: Yeah, that'd be cool. I know. Yeah. That's why I'm like I don't know how we would go about that. It's always hard to I don't know, to navigate how to work with certain mediums- Yeah ... and to, like together especially.

Yeah.

[00:32:15] Lisa: Wow. there's just so much when you're talking about art and, what you can do with your gift of... That's a, that's an amazing gift to have. Yeah.

is there anything else that you'd like to talk about that we didn't mention?

[00:32:45] Shayde: Maybe just that-

[00:32:47] Lisa: A cool experience you've had- in the art world or something like that.

[00:32:53] Shayde: I think it's really interesting 'cause I've been doing so many cool things. Yeah. And, I'm really grateful, to be a part of such crazy things like the Metrolinx or being at the Casa Loma or, I don't know, just, a lot of the opportunities I get.

But I feel like I'm still so in the beginning days of my being an artist.

[00:33:17] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:33:17] Shayde: And it's really hard, and-

[00:33:20] Lisa: Yeah ...

[00:33:20] Shayde: I think just being so young too and not really having any business experience has been really hard.

but, my community always makes me feel like I'm going the right way, and I'm always- Yeah

grateful for that.

[00:33:36] Lisa: Yeah. A lot of encouragement.

[00:33:37] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:33:38] Lisa: That's important when you're an artist or any young person really, to get that, encouragement from your community.

Just to say, "Keep going."

[00:33:47] Shayde: Yeah. Yeah. You're

[00:33:49] Lisa: on the

[00:33:49] Shayde: right

[00:33:50] Lisa: path.

[00:33:51] Shayde: Yeah. And I don't know, I just... Any other young artists out there looking to start, I'm just like, be- ready to put in the work.

It is really hard

[00:34:03] Lisa: Yeah, a lot of work. Yeah. and also to, be able to be alone a lot-

[00:34:09] Shayde: That, yeah,

[00:34:10] Lisa: as well ... while you're working.

Yeah.

[00:34:12] Shayde: Yeah. So yeah, there's pros and cons, but always grateful for, like, where I'm at, and- it's really cool to, be living out my artist dream, 'cause I've always, kinda wanted to do something different as my job,

[00:34:30] Lisa: Yeah.

[00:34:31] Shayde: Yeah.

[00:34:31] Lisa: And too, like, when you fill out an application, they ask you what your occupation is, you can say, "I'm an artist."

[00:34:37] Shayde: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:34:40] Lisa: Oh, gosh. Okay. So I want everyone to know that they can check out Shayde Sandy's art at Shade Sandy Art.

[00:34:49] Shayde: Yep.

[00:34:50] Lisa: You can look her up on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok with those same, words, Shayde Sandy Art, all one word, right?

[00:35:00] Shayde: Yep.

[00:35:00] Lisa: Yeah. Yeah. Okay. They can find you on all of those platforms, and go to a museum. Maybe one, in one of those museums you'll find Shayde Sandy art hanging on the wall.

[00:35:14] Shayde: Yes. I hope so.

[00:35:16] Lisa: I have to say that I've been looking at one of your pieces of art that you did of the, intersection in Ohsweken, and, on our rez in the village of Ohsweken there's, a spot, or there's a, traffic light, one traffic light in the intersection, and you did a painting of that.

And I loved it, and I love it. And so I had to get that, and it, and she brought it here today when she's doing the podcast, so that is going right up in my office- Yay

right today.

[00:35:50] Shayde: That's awesome.

[00:35:50] Lisa: Yay. I'm gonna, I'm gonna be able to look at it every single day. And I guess that's what we do when we buy art and hang it up in our homes. We look at it and it makes us feel good.

it just brings about some joy or some appreciation for the artist that did that or-

[00:36:10] Shayde: Yeah, for sure

[00:36:10]

Lisa: or even, supporting them and encouraging them to keep going and something like that. So get out there, people, and buy some art today.

[00:36:21] Shayde: Yes. Woo-hoo.

[00:36:23] Lisa: So nya:weh, Shayde, for coming on the podcast and being our guest today, and, we'll, see you out there creating in the future.

[00:36:34] Shayde: Yes. Thank you so much.

[00:36:36] Lisa: Okay. Onakiwa:hi.

[00:36:38] Shayde: Bye.

Extro:
[00:36:43] Lisa: Nya:weh. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Yohá:te ne kahsén:na , The Road to Your Name podcast, which has been produced by Aboriginal Legal Services and hosted by me, Lisa VanEvery. There are 10 podcast episodes in each season. Let's meet again on the next episode. If you would like to learn more about our organization, Aboriginal Legal Services, and the programs and services we provide, please visit us at our website, www.aboriginallegal.ca

And if you feel inclined and would like to make a donation, you can click on the word Donate located at the top of the homepage of our website. You can also visit us on facebook.roadtoyourname. This has been the Yoha:te ne kahsen:na: The Road to Your Name podcast.