Description
About the Artist
Jil-Leesa GW is a graphic design artist based out of Sarnia, Ontario. A member of Aamjiwnaang first nations located along the banks of the St Clair River and proudly counts herself among the Deer Clan.
From an early age, she discovered that creative outlets form a link between the artist and the viewer that couldn’t be expressed through words. This fueled her and became part of her inspiration. Through her works, she seeks to convey inner strength, the beauty of the natural world, and the subtle but powerful importance of connection in our daily lives. It is her hope that her work will bring joy, foster community in those around her, and that in doing so, bring herself and others to new heights of self-expression.
Her artistic career has been rife with difficulty, which she has sought to persevere and grow from. As a self-taught artist, she has spent much of her free time researching different mediums and finding her niche in the art community. Aside from traditional paper and pencil, her preferred medium is digital art, and she utilizes a range of programs to harness inspiration and bring the soul of the art to life. Counted among her achievements is the Orange Shirt Day design ‘Unity‘ featured within TD Banks archives for the year 21’
When not making digital art, Jil-Leesa’s hobbies include taking long walks with her dog, beading earrings, drinking coffee, spending quality time with friends and family, and enjoying whatever day the world sees fit to throw at her.
Grant Program
We are inviting First Nations and schools to reach out for a GRANT APPLICATION.
Funds available for grants will be dependent on sales, (funds available will be $2.00 from each shirt sold from the “Children Going Home” and “Ally Shirt” campaigns). and will be determined in mid-January from the previous year’s sales.
Funds from “Bear Paw”, campaign will remain going to the NCTR for programs of survivors.
We had the honour to have worked with the Orange Shirt Society for six years helping them raise awareness of the intergenerational harm caused by residential schools.
Over that time as awareness grew many organizations became involved and awareness of the harm of residential schools became well known.
We then decided we wanted our fundraising efforts to support the survivors of residential schools so for a couple of years we donated to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
Over time we have become aware of the need of many indigenous communities, some with very small needs that we wanted to be able to help with. I.e., a field trip, learning materials, sports equipment, art supplies, etc.
We invite schools and first nations to reach out for a grant application for possible funding of their needs.
