Pascal Pelletier is what you might call a busy man.

The 37-year old artist had to fit in completing a 20-foot house-post style totem pole for the city of Chilliwack, while painting 15 new works in three weeks for his exhibition Vanishing Buffalo at the Place des Arts gallery running Oct. 9 to Nov. 8.

“I never use the same pieces in any exhibit twice, so sometimes it can be a lot of work,” says Pelletier, who has a two-year list of projects he is committed to working on, including another totem pole for Chilliwack’s sister city in Japan and designing specially commissioned jewelry to commemorate the 2010 Olympics.

Born and raised in Quebec, Pelletier, who has been drawing since he was a young child, was inspired by Canadian artists Jane Ash Poitras and Gerald Tailfeathers and by Mexican muralists like Diego Rivera.

Half native himself, Pelletier also found inspiration in the work of West Coast First Nations artists such as Bill Reid, Roy Henry Vickers and the Davidson brothers. In their work, Pelletier began to see the potential of using art to tell stories. Pelletier became driven to do the same.

“I wanted to tell the story of the people and of the real impact losing the buffalo had on their culture,” says Pelletier of the Vanishing Buffalo exhibit.

“However, I don’t want to just give people a pre-chewed story, with a specific view. There are two sides to this story and I have tried to reflect that.

“In this work there is no guilty. There is no judgement. My goal is to present images that people will have a reaction to. Good or bad, I just want you to have a reaction.... And then hopefully, that reaction will make you want to go and do your own research on the subject. And make up your own mind.”

The headstone piece in Pelletier’s exhibit, sharing its name, is Vanishing Buffalo, a stunning composite of nine individual 30-by-30-inch paintings, placed together in a collage of colour, emotion and theme.

The work’s primary image is the face of a solemn aboriginal shaman, staring directly into the eyes of the viewer. With its 90-by-90-inch mass of canvas, paint and wood frame, Vanishing Buffalo is an enormous piece of art.

“I wanted the art to reflect the size of the animal that disappeared. I mean we are talking about 2,200 pounds of animal,” explains Pelletier.

“I can’t bring an actual buffalo into the gallery so I made [Vanishing Buffalo] proportionate in size to the story I am telling. And then all the other paintings followed from that.

“Of course, the story is not just about the huge size of the animal. It is also about the enormous size of the loss of the buffalo to the people and their culture, which was based around it.”

Alongside Pelletier’s exhibition, Place des Arts will also present Jan Poynter’s graphite drawings and acrylic paintings of industrial landscapes in Sea to Sky: the Vancouver Shoreline; and digital photographer Laura Lee Coles’ collection of abstract photos entitled Blurred Realities.

The public is invited to a free opening reception with the artists from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Place des Arts (1120 Brunette Ave.) on Oct. 9. For more information visit the Place des Arts website at www.placedesarts.ca or call 604-664-1636.