The members of the Village Gallery of Local Artists family are stringing lights and putting up a tree to display their hand made ornaments in time for the Dec. 6 First Friday Art Walk.

The public is invited to attend the free event from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the gallery, 6512 SR 179 in Sedona.

For Village Gallery artist, Susan Shatreau-Janisky, the family is an extended one and her heritage, deep and wide. Born in upstate New York where her Algonquin, Mohawk, and French-Canadian ancestors inhabited vast regions from the Atlantic coast north to the St Lawrence River valley, Shatreau-Janisky is a registered member of the Aboriginal Metis Community of Maniwaki, Quebec.

As a young girl, Shatreau-Janisky was taught traditional native crafts of beading and leatherworking from her relatives, and over the years has continued to practice and expand many of those skills while living in California and Arizona. She and her husband, Michael currently reside in the Verde Valley.

Shatreau-Janisky is an award-winning artist who has attended Native art shows in Oregon, California and Arizona and was Native American liaison and teacher for the California Girl Scout Council.

In addition to perfecting her native arts, Shatreau-Janisky is a self-taught wire artist and metalsmith and has created her own line of silvers rings inset with traditional native designs as well as a striking collection of silver and copper bracelets. Many of her custom necklaces and pendants are set with precious stones surrounded with bead work. She also makes beaded cuff leather bracelets.

The artist is especially proud of her custom leather work which includes medicine bags made on native tanned smoked deer skin, her small beaded clutch bags and elk skin cross-body bags, many of which are embellished with beaded floral designs for which the Metis people are well known.

Meet Susan Shatreau-Janisky at the Dec. 6 First Friday Art Walk and ask her about the other part of her family tree; the Native American lass also can claim some Scottish roots.

Call 928-284-1416 or visit sedonalocalartists.com for more information. Open 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily.