More than any other painting this marked an important turning point in the evolution of my art. In 1998, I received a Metis Nation of Ontario Economic Development grant. This grant allowed me to concentrate on creating artwork as a professional artist for the first time in my life. This was the first painting I produced with that grant. It was, at that point, the largest I had ever done. The roots, the symmetry, the balance of colour all came together and for me it solidified the development of my own style.