Q&A with This Land is a Lullaby Illustrator Delreé Dumont

Written as a lullaby for the author’s daughter and featuring striking artwork, This Land is a Lullaby is a new picture book illustrated by Delreé Dumont and written by Tonya Simpson. In this Q&A, hear from Delreé about her artwork style and what it was like to illustrate this story. 

Your artwork is stunning! Have you always used the pointillism technique in your work?   

Thank you! I’m humbled that you think so! In 2014, I discovered pointillism, which fundamentally changed my life. As I delved into this artistic style, my paintings began selling, eventually leading me to open my own storefront, Delreé’s Native Art Gallery, in 2015.

Prior to 2014, I painted realism, and when I discovered pointillism, I started incorporating pointillism with a little bit of surrealism, making my paintings have more depth and interest. People say they look like beading on canvas, and I love that!

What is it about pointillism that speaks to you?

The thing is, my style of pointillism isn’t true pointillism like the style of the greats, Georges Seurat or Paul Signac. True pointillism is using, for example, the color red for dots, then placing yellow dots side by side so from a distance, the dots appear orange. For my pointillism technique, I’ll just use orange paint! I feel that this style really highlights the subjects and makes them pop! I also use lots of vibrant colors, and I sometimes paint three to four layers of dots to really give my painting depth and texture.

What did your process for creating the artwork for This Land Is a Lullaby look like?

It was huge learning curve for me as an artist because what I think represents the story can be vastly different from what the publishers are envisioning. I had to revise a lot of drawings to render what the publisher wanted, and that’s okay. I wanted to ensure that the publisher and the author were truly happy with the outcome. 

Did you have a favorite spread to create for This Land Is a Lullaby?

I enjoyed painting all the animals as I love to paint wildlife in their environment with their connection to Mother Earth, and incorporating our ancestors was truly my favorite. We as Native people are taught that everything, such as plants and animals, has a connection to Mother Earth, and that everything has a spirit. Painting the mother and child, showing how she has that powerful, loving bond with her child, and how she teaches that child to love and appreciate Mother Earth, is a powerful feeling. 

How does your artistic process differ between illustrating a book and creating a piece of art that stands on its own?

Only in technicalities, such as the size of the paintings needed to fit the size of the book. Also, I don’t see myself as a landscape artist; the book, of course, was based on the prairie landscape. In my regular work as an artist, I typically paint the subject on its own with a dotted abstract or plain background. I also used a lot of vibrant colors in the book, and I do the same in my work.

How long does it usually take to finish a pointillism creation? How long did it take to finish a spread in the book?

It depends on the size of the canvas and if I dot the whole canvas. In my early years, it would take me 40 hours to complete a 16 x 20” painting, but ten years later, I could finish the same size in three to four days with three to four layers of dots—but I’m working 12 hours a day. I’m faster now. But when I get started on a painting, I don’t stop until it’s done. 

The size of the canvas for the book was typically 10 x 19” so it didn’t take me long at all to finish a piece once I knew what the publisher wanted in colors and subject matter. 

Is any of the artwork created digitally, or do you paint everything by hand?  

I am technologically challenged, so none of the paintings were created digitally. They are all done by hand. 

What are some of your favorite things to paint?

I love to paint wildlife, Indigenous dancers in their regalia, horses, flora and fauna. 

You are also a pow wow dancer! Does the art of dance influence your artwork or vice versa?  

Most definitely. Dancing fills my heart with pride and love, and it grounds me. I dance to honor my mother, my late husband, my brother and sister, my ancestors, my Creator and for myself. Each style of dance in pow wow dancing represents our beliefs, our traditions and culture, our way of life. Therefore, I try to capture that feeling or meaning on canvas. 

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I am truly grateful and honored to have been selected to paint this children’s book. I connected with it on so many levels. I wasn’t born on my reserve, but when my mom took me to our reserve when I was 12 years old (Onion Lake Cree Nation, SK), I fell in love with my culture. All my aunties and uncles had horses, and I would ride from sunup to sundown. It’s my best memory of growing up. Many thanks to Orca Book Publishers, and to Tonya Simpson for writing a story that I truly connected with. Hiy hiy.