Great Galaxies: Painting Planets Together

Through Connected North, students across Canada have the chance to meet inspiring role models, artists, and knowledge keepers without leaving their classrooms. In one recent session, students in Haida Gwaii joined artist and Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation member Heather Endall to explore the galaxy on canvas. With paint, sponges, and everyday tools, Heather guided them not only in creating vibrant planets and stars, but also in hearing cultural stories and sharing their own language and traditions.

Heather began the session by telling students, “There’s never a mistake in painting — you can always fix it or make it part of your painting.”

The artistic adventure started with red, yellow, blue, white, and black paints, a sponge, and a toothbrush. She then shared why the sturgeon is called the stargazer fish in her territories. Building the colours on the canvas one at a time, Heather encouraged the class that they could follow her lead or do what they want, sparking creativity and promoting independence.

Heather didn’t show an example of the finished product so students wouldn’t get frustrated if their paintings didn’t look the same as a sample at the end. She added blue and made green after sharing a story of finding a bag of sponges in a windstorm. She demonstrated how to use balled-up paper towels instead of sponges if needed, allowing students to improvise with what they had on hand. The class filled in their canvases almost completely.

“There aren’t a lot of rules to follow for this one. Just make it bright, that’s the only rule,” she urged. They went on to add in the black to the canvas and then patted their canvases dry if they weren’t already. Then, flicking white paint with her toothbrush, she made stars on her canvas, adding fun and magic with an everyday object.

Heather reinforced that students didn’t need expensive materials to paint. She showed off her supplies from the dollar store that she had been using forever, then used one of the brushes to create the moon in the corner of the canvas. She reminded them that the moon has imperfections in the form of craters, so it didn’t have to be perfect. She added more moons and planets in different colours as the lesson continued.

The students shared their Haida words for sun and moon and Heather shared another story about the big dipper constellation, this one from the Mohawk people. Heather gave another idea of what to use in place of a dotting tool to add more stars, giving students another improvisational tool in their toolbox. She guided them through signing their masterpieces as their project drew to a close.

At the end of the class, students brought their finished paintings to the camera. “Wow! That’s amazing! I love your bright colours! Good job!” she affirmed. Everyone cleaned up in the classroom and Heather signed off with some final instructions on how to safely separate the tape from the paintings.

Heather’s session highlighted the Arts & Recreation component, as well as the Culture, Language and Identity section of the Connected North Wellbeing model, engaging students in Haida Gwaii. By the end of the session, students proudly shared their galaxy paintings — each one shining with colour, imagination, and individuality. This was more than an art lesson; it was a chance to build confidence, hear cultural stories, and share their own voices. Thanks to Connected North, they were able to learn from an artist and knowledge keeper like Heather Endall while also celebrating their own creativity and culture