One of Canada’s greatest painters, who had many ties to the Fort McMurray area, has passed away. 

Alex Janvier’s death was announced at the Assembly of First Nations Annual General Assembly in Montreal Thursday morning. 

Born on the Cold Lake First Nations, Janvier began his artwork at the age of 8 after being sent to the Blue Quills Residential School. By his early teens, he was under the guardianship of a University of Alberta professor.

Janvier’s work would transition to painting full-time in 1962 after a brief teaching stint. His work is widely collected and commissioned. His massive mosaic, Iron Foot Place, greets thousands of hockey fans at Rogers Place at Edmonton Oilers games, and he also designed a $200 coin for the Royal Canadian Mint. 

He reportedly painted into his last days. Janvier was 89.