My story,

I’m Tŝilhqot’in and from Williams Lake, BC. My parents are Bella Alphonse and Collin Bambrick. I started drawing portraits with 2B graphite pencils at 11 years old. My mother, Bella Alphonse, saw my drawings and encouraged me to continue creating art because of my talent. I drew many pictures of family members including my grandfather and great-grandfather. My mother is instrumental in my art journey as she always builds my self-esteem and helps me believe in myself. I loved creating art of people showing their healthy confidence and self-esteem.

For the next 9 years I created primarily graphite drawings of portraits. When I was 20 years old I decided to pursue higher education at Thompson Rivers University to attain my degree in Commerce. I worked in accounting and finance for a few years but I always wanted to work in a creative space utilising my artistic talents. I then began my career as a Front-end Software Engineer and designed/created language learning websites.

In 2025, my sons Chase and Beau Bambrick pulled out their art equipment and asked if I knew how to draw. After 17 years I finally drew again and created a pen drawing of Superman for them. It then became “our thing” to create art together. Creating art with my sons helped build my confidence to create complex graphite drawings again. I decided to draw World Champion bull-rider J.B Mauney because he symbolises perseverance, fearlessness, positive self esteem, and confidence. It’s important to show people through art where we see their confidence and esteem so we remember any of us can persevere through difficult times in life (and win).

Sechanalyagh (Thank you),

Justin Bambrick