THE BATTLEFORDS — The British Columbia and Yukon Book Prizes’ 2025 shortlists have been announced.
Kootenay-based Cree artist Delreé Dumont, and Scottish and Cree author Tonya Simpson, have been nominated for the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize.
Dumont’s art appears in Simpson’s picture book, This Land Is a Lullaby, printed by Orca Book Publishers in 2024.
“I’m thrilled that we have been nominated and look forward to the results in September,” Dumont told the Valley Voice. “Whether we win or not, just being nominated is a prize itself!”
This Land Is a Lullaby takes place on a stormy summer’s night, while a mother calms her infant with images of their ancestral home in the prairies and plains – the hum of dragonflies, the drumming of thunder, the grasses swirling, and the northern lights glimmering. Dumont’s pointillism art accompanies Simpson’s soothing words, written as a lullaby for her daughter.
This is Dumont’s first time illustrating a book. There are 19 paintings in total, plus the front page and inside covers. Dumont spent about a week completing each 10-inch by 19-inch canvas.
Dumont’s art practice is profoundly influenced by her family roots in the Onion Lake Cree Nation, on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. She knows the landscape well, which made it easy for her to translate the story’s Saskatchewan setting into striking illustrations.
“My roots provide a foundation that not only guides my artistic vision but also enriches the narrative and intent behind my creations,” she said.
Dumont is also a traditional pow wow dancer, often painting dancers in regalia.
“Listening to Cree stories shapes the subject matter of my pieces, reflecting the history, resilience, and spirit of the people,” she said. “I am spiritually influenced by our traditions and very proud of my heritage.”
Born in the Lower Mainland but having lived in Alberta for most of her life, Dumont said she is happy to be back in BC; she also draws a lot of inspiration from the mountains and the Arrow Lakes region.
Dumont has been passionate about art her whole life, showing talent since childhood. She started with watercolour, then oil paints. When she discovered pointillism, Dumont switched to acrylic since it’s quicker to dry. She likes to paint dots in three or four layers, and weaves her realist background with a little bit of surrealism.
“I love how pointillism makes my work pop, and the depth that can be created with it,” she said.
Dumont will be showing her latest works – and some of the paintings from This Land Is a Lullaby – at Studio Connexion in Nakusp this summer. She is also working on another 32-page children’s book, based on a true Christmas story in a small northern Métis town in Saskatchewan. It is set for publication in the fall of 2026.
Visit delreedumont.ca to see more of her work.
