3 Years of Work

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Hi, my name is Christian Wayne. I am an artist from Montana First Nation, one of the four nations that make up Maskwacis, Alberta. My focus through the BFA program has largely been learning to paint and furthering my drawing abilities, though, I’ve also spent a considerable amount of time on creative writing, audio production, and facilitating the ECU Jam Club, a weekly gathering of students and outside musicians wherein we would socialize and improvise music together.

The works on this page are what I consider to be my best visual works produced through my second, third, and fourth years of studies. I believe that they all encapsulate the hopes and aspirations I had held leading into their productions, and with that, am proud to be showcasing each and every one of them.

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Works of Identity

Throughout my time at Emily Carr, I’ve explored a myriad of subjects using a variety of different approaches and mediums – most notably, I’ve honed in on a language of visual iconography that reflects on and celebrates my Canadian heritage. The following five works best exemplify this:

Cybertruck Madonna, 2025

Oil on canvas

40″ x 30″

Green Apple Back wAsh, 2024

Coloured pencils, crayons, ink, charcoal on paper

20″ x 28″

Water Son, 2023

Oil on canvas

18″ x 18″

We Once Knew No Distinction Between Mothers & Aunties, 2023

Coloured pencils, oil pastel, ink on paper

15″ x 22″

Dry Island Buffalo Jump, 2024

Coloured pencils, oil pastel, ink on paper

24″ x 18″

Works of Patience

Along with my explorations of identity, I’ve taken long efforts in creating meticulously rendered and highly detailed drawings as a meditative form of production and reflection. This City Was Built on Secrets, shown below, I felt was my first true accomplishment in pursuit of my degree.

This City Was Built on Secrets, 2023

Pen on paper

18″ x 24″

West Georgia Street, 2024

Coloured pencils, ink, graphite on paper

27″ x 19″

Still Life for Drawing Marathon, 2024

Charcoal on paper

≈4′ x 8′

Works of Play

My painting journey began in my second year at Emily Carr, and with that, much of my time spent here was in experimenting with process and materials. Starting from basepoints of evocative references, these pieces focused on palettes and brushwork as I worked my way through realizing what my narrative voice could be and what it is that I’d like to communicate to the viewer.

Season’s Greetings, 2024

Oil on acrylic & canvas

36″ x 48″

The Great Outdoors, 2025

Oil on canvas

48″ x 48″

Crab Tank, 2023

Oil on canvas

22″ x 42″

Gas Can, 2025

Oil on canvas

20″x24″

Studies & Exercises

Of course, a good majority of the works I produced through my degree were studies and exercises. Many small, often inconsequential paintings were made between the larger iconographic works. Models and life drawing played a big role in my studies as well, furthering my understanding of the human figure and greatly improving the impact of my later figurative works. Below is a selection of the best works to come from these studies.

David (2024), Blossom (2023), Angus (2023)

Oil on canvas, each 12″ x 12″

Life Model, 2025

Pencil on paper, digitally collaged

Selected model studies, 2025

Coloured pencils, graphite, ink on paper, digitally enhanced

Life Models, 2022

Oil on canvas

Life Model, 2025

Coloured pencils on paper, digitally collaged

Model Study, 2025

Graphite on paper, 8″x11″

Life Model, 2025

Coloured pencils on paper, digitally enhanced

Model study, 2025

Coloured pencil on paper, digitally enhanced

Model study, 2025

Coloured pencil on paper, digitally enhanced

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Future Works

With the completion of my degree and the culmination of my aims and efforts at Emily Carr being realized (most specifically with Cybertruck Madonna), my focus is likely to shift to music and creative writing for some time while I rest my visual muscles. I will continue to work on visual art, though in a reduced capacity – life drawing, en plein air, the occasional dive into iconography, maybe photography. I hope to expand on more familial and perhaps religious iconography, lightly touched on below in Self-Portrait 2025 and How I Love Being a Free Man.

Self-portrait, 2025

Oil on canvas

18″ x 22″

How I Love Being a Free Man

Oil on canvas

11″x13″

Along with these efforts, I’m also aiming to further a guitar customization practice which I had dived into twice during my studies, both shown here:

If you’d like to keep up with my future works and efforts, feel free to follow @christianwayneabt on Instagram.

Thank you for your time!

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Christian Wayne Charles Abt

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