Dynamic Balance Mindfulness Workshops

Randall Charboneau was serving a 17-year prison sentence when an insight called him to start drawing. His first images mirrored the anger and hatred he felt; skulls, bones, barb wire... Anger within him grew. And then projected outward. Which led to a charge of aggravated assault, and a transfer to a Special Handling Unit in Quebec. He was now considered one of Canada’s most dangerous offenders.

One day while in the yard, Randall was struck by an awakening. He felt as if an aura had come over him. He looked up to the sky, then looked down and stared at the barbed wire fence. He asked himself, “Is this what you want with your life?”

And with that thought, that one question, a whole new path opened for him. He started going to Native Brotherhood meetings and Ceremonies—Sweat Lodge Ceremonies, Pipe Circles, and sat for many hours with Elders learning about Traditional Teachings. In an environment bereft of any creative expression, Randall transformed a bedsheet into a canvas, cut his own hair for a brush, and somehow materials manifested to help him bring those teachings into the world with his art.

The initial images appearing on his canvas were exciting to him. Natural images of the Eagle and the Bear…. Images that were about to become ceremonial expressions of Indigenous values and Spiritual principles. No skulls, no violence. His Spirit had found

a path through the darkness and pain to cast a peaceful path forward. When Randall was released, he dedicated his life to working to heal youth struggling with the hard challenges in life. Through story-telling and art he provided a window into how to live with peace and in service.
Randall passed into the Spirit world in 2005, but he has left us an incredible gift through his art.