CARLY NABESS was born and raised in the Tsimshian territory, specifically within the traditional lands of the Kitsumkalum and Kitselas Peoples. She attended and graduated from Caledonia Secondary School in Terrace, British Columbia. From a young age, Carly was passionate about art. She began taking art more seriously in high school, focusing on portraiture and selling her artwork at the local farmers market.

Carly began her journey with the Indigenous Friends Association (IFA) by participating in the IndigiTAL Empowerment Through Technology program. She recalled how much she enjoyed the program and appreciated learning about Indigneous perspectives on technology across Turtle Island. This positive experience led her to stay connected with the IFA on social media, where she eventually came across a post promoting IndigiTAL Empowerment Through Art. During a transitional period in her career, after leaving her job to focus on becoming a full-time artist, Carly saw an opportunity in the program to learn digital art. Though initially uncertain and apprehensive about digital and computer art, she was motivated by the chance to learn alongside other Indigenous artists. Determined to invest in her artistic development, Carly signed up for the IndigiTAL Empowerment Through Art program.

IndigiTAL Empowerment Through Art played a crucial role in helping Carly develop new skills and tools for digital artwork. One of the key tools she learned to use was Krita, a digital painting platform. Through Krita, Carly discovered a variety of brushes that allowed her to create art on multiple planes, which was particularly beneficial for design work and creating beaded templates and bead-work-inspired art. She also gained the technique of layering, which gave her the ability to edit and refine previous layers, enhancing the depth and precision of her artwork.

During the program, Carly worked on an impactful project where she used Canva to build upon and showcase her art portfolio. This portfolio became a key element of her artistic development, including a table of contents and various pieces of artwork she created during the program. She chose to include her very first piece from the program, despite feeling it was quite basic and didn’t initially look like art to her.

However, Carly wanted to document her learning journey, showcasing where she started and how far she had come by the end of the program. One of her later pieces was a project where she took a picture of her dog, then learned how to reduce the transparency, making the image lighter so she could draw over it on a new layer. She emphasized how helpful it was for artists starting out to develop their portfolios and write-ups.

After completing IndigiTAL, Carly applied the digital art skills she learned to various projects, including creating artwork for a friendship agreement between the Northwest Métis Association, Tri-River Métis Association, and the Coast Mountains School District. Currently, she is engaged in several projects, including a beaded landscape painting in response to a Two-Spirit gathering. Once completed, she plans to digitize the artwork using Krita, transforming it into a logo design for cards and canvases that will be gifted. Carly is also working on a beaded vest for an Elder, a tobacco bag, and preparing for youth workshops scheduled for August and September.

Carly’s future plans include staying consistent as an artist and continuing to build momentum in her art career. She remains eager to learn new skills, study ancestral beadwork, and explore new techniques in Krita and digital art. Carly is committed to experimenting with and combining different mediums to advance her artistic practice. This fall, she will be attending Emily Carr University to pursue a Master of Fine Arts. To follow Carly’s art journey, you can visit her website or follow her on Instagram and Facebook.