LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- gain a fundamental understanding of what Woodland Art is
- understand the significance of the Woodland Art Movement within the art world
- gain an understanding of different woodland artists (traditional and modern)
- identify and explain the three concepts and styles of Woodland Art
- recognize and apply the different lines, shapes and colours used in the Woodland Style
- identify
What is Woodland Art?
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Woodland Art, also known as Legend or Medicine Painting is a distinct style of native art that blends traditional legends and myths with contemporary mediums. It explores the relationships between people, animals, and plants, and is rich with spiritual imagery and symbolism. The traditional style of Woodland Art was developed as a mix of the Midewiwin birch bark scrolls and the imagery of Norval Morrisseau, the founder of Woodland Art. When Norval Morrisseau first began painting, his intention was to re-introduce the Anishnaabe world view into the contemporary consciousness with the Ojibwa culture having been all but obliterated through the imposition of external governance and the influence of Christian churches. |
Goyce Kakegamic, Untitled (1980)
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Norval Morrisseau, the Thunderbird (1960)
THE THREE Concepts
OF WOODLAND ART
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1. Transition of the ancient oral traditions into visual representation: This was done as a means of reintroducing the Anishnaabe worldview into the contemporary consciousness.
2. Imagery of transformation and duality: This means the representation of man and animal being two life forms at the same time (thunderbird). 3. Frequent struggle between humans and animals: spiritual communication or fighting between the physical and spiritual or the man-made and the natural. |
Carl Ray, Loon (1970) |
Symbolism
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Lines of Power
- Lines radiating from the heads and bodies of both animals and people
- Variation in length and intensity indicate the quality of power
- both transmit and receive information
Lines of Communication
- Flowing lines indicate relationships which reflect the artist’s understanding of the nature of interdependence between two beings.
Lines of Prophecy
- Powerful creatures may have ivy-like-vines spewing from their mouths, this indicates prophecy.
- Seen with most shamanic imagery
Lines of Movement
- Very short lines are indication of movement
- These lines are particularly powerful surrounding Shaking Tent imagery.
- Also, when clustered near an organ like the heart (picture example), this could indicate an active attempt of communication with the viewer
The DIVIDED Circle
- A representation of duality
- When connected with Lines of Communication it represents the duality of connection between worlds.
X-Ray Decoration
- representation of inner spiritual life.
Colour
- Prehistoric artist used ochre paints (ruddy reddish-brown)
- Norval Morrisseau used unmixed paints, colours that he said represented in inner reality of the inner beings.
- Colours are represented as “pure” bordered by heavy black lines and depending on the Artist the colours can represent different things.
Norval Morrisseau, loons and fish (1972)
JOSHIM Kakegamic, Untitled
NORVAL MORRISSEAU, Storyteller of the Ages (1970)
JOSH Kakegamic, Unknown Title (1980)
NORVAL MORRISSEAU, Mishipishu and the Spirits
GOYCE Kakegamic,
Fish (2006)
The Native
Group of Seven
ALEX JANVIER
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Carl Ray
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Eddy Cobiness
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Daphne Odjig
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"Artists commonly associated with their contribution to the Woodland School of painters, a group of indigenous painters whose work can be characterized by bold colors, abstract imagery, and solid black outlines. Many of their works explore indigenous identity through reflections of colonial history, indigenous mythology, and landscapes of rural Canada. "
Alex Janvier
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Alex Janvier,
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Carl Ray
1943-1978
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Carl Ray was born and raised on The Sandy Lake Reserve, the geographic birthplace of Woodlands School of Art. Carl Ray was one of the first native artists to show the secret legends of the Cree people in his art.
A friend of Norval Morrisseau's, Ray helped him paint the large mural for the Canadian Government for the Native People of Canada Pavilion at Expo ’67 in Montreal. Ray had a unique x-ray style of painting, often showing the inner organs and energy lines inside an animal or man; a representation of inner turmoil with the elements. Rays's art often reflected ideas of both conflict and redemption within both nature and himself. At 35 years old Carl Ray was fatally stabbed in Sioux Lookout. |
Carl Ray
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Eddy Cobiness
1933-1996
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Born and raised in Minnesota Cobiness moved to Canada and lived on the Buffalo Point Reserve following a stint in the US Army.
Cobiness began his artistic career by illustrating scenes from his community that evolved into more abstract forms. He was influenced by the art of Benjamin Chee Chee, an influence still prevalent in his work. By the 1960's Cobiness became recognized for his unique stylized images of animals. Cobiness often worked in oil, acrylic, watercolour, pen and ink and coloured pencil, signing his treaty number '47' to his later works. |
Eddy Cobiness
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Daphne Odjig
1919-2016
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"There is nothing else that i like to do more than creating something out of my mind and heart, nothing else. I live it. I eat it. I breath it. I was born with a paint brush in my hand."
Born to the Odawa-Potawatomi nation, Odjig developed an interest in the arts at an early age. Following the outbreak of World War II Odjig left for Toronto where she work in the urban factories. Odjig relocated to Manitoba following the war, and it was here that she began to work on a series sketches of portraying members of the Cree nation. It was while in Winnipeg that she helped found the Professional Native Indian Artists Association, a group dedicated to supporting indigenous artists. Shortly thereafter, she became involved with the rising movement of Woodland painters and developed her signature geometric style. |
Daphne Odjig,
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Jackson Beardy
1944-1984
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Born at Garden Hill Reserve on the shores of Island Lake in Manitoba, Jackson was one of 13 children born to John Beardy and Dinah Monias. As was a common practice, Jackson was raised by his maternal grandparents with the expectation that he would learn and pass on the spiritual traditions of his nation.
Beardy had a distinctive graphic style characterized by flat areas of warm colours and curving ribbons of paint. His early work often narrated legends but as his art and his vision matured he explored the natural balances in nature, regeneration and growth, and the interdependence of all things. Some works were rendered on birchbark or beaver skins rather than canvas. |
Jackson Beardy
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Joe Sanchez
1948-
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Joseph Sanchez has a unique place in the Canadian First Nations art movement. A draft dodger, born and raised in Arizona (White Mountain Apache Reservation), Joseph lived in Manitoba during the 1970’s trying to make a living as an artist.
It wasn't until he met Daphne Odjig and the other Canadian First Nations artists that Sanchez focused on art as a career. He says that Daphne was his biggest mentor and encouraged him to paint, draw and sculpt. |
Joe Sanchez
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Norval Morrisseau
1932-2007
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Media. CBC Interview. Norval Morrisseau greets the art world in 1962 (sept. 23 1962) 12.42 mins http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2682359696
Norval Morrisseau was born in Beardmore, Ontario. An Ojibway with a grade four education acquired at the St.Joseph’s Indian Boarding School in Fort William, he arrived in the Red Lake area in 1959 to work as a miner for Cochenour Willans Gold Mine. A self-taught artist, in his spare time Morrisseau painted images interpreting the legends of his people, which he sold to local residents. In May 1963 he quit mining but stayed in the area and became a full-time artist, supporting his growing family with his art. Morrisseau gained international recognition as the founder of the Woodland School of Art and as the most influential Canadian artist of all time. Generations of young Aboriginal artists credit Morrisseau for inspiring them to take up painting as a way of recovering their heritage. Morrisseau painted the main body of his early works (1958-1972) in our community, and many of these paintings, as well as later ones, have been acquired by major Canadian art galleries and museums such as the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Royal Ontario Museum, the National Gallery of Canada and Rideau Hall. Many international galleries also collected his paintings and frequently create exhibitions of his works. |
Norval Morrisseau, Ojibway Story Tree 1996
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A New Generation
MODERN ARTISTS
Christi Belcourt
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Christi Belcourt is a Michif (Métis) visual artist with a deep respect for Mother Earth, the traditions and the knowledge of her people. In addition to her paintings she is also known as a community based artist, environmentalist and advocate for the lands, waters and Indigenous peoples. She is currently a lead organizer for the Onaman Collective which focuses on resurgence of language and land based practices. She is also the lead coordinator for Walking With Our Sisters, a community-driven project that honours murdered or missing Indigenous women. Her work Giniigaaniimenaaning (Looking Ahead) commemorates residential school survivors, their families and communities to mark the Prime Minister’s historic Apology in 2008 and is installed at Centre Block on Parliament Hill commissioned by the Government of Canada. She was named the Aboriginal Arts Laureate by the Ontario Arts Council in 2015. In 2016 she won a Governor General’s Innovation Award and was named the winner of the 2016 Premier’s Awards in the Arts. Author of Medicines To Help Us (Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2007) and Beadwork (Ningwakwe Learning Press, 2010). Christi’s work is found within the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Gabriel Dumont Institute, the Indian and Inuit Art Collection, Parliament Hill, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery and Canadian Museum of Civilization, First People’s Hall.
http://christibelcourt.com/bio/ |
Christi Belcourt, POND LILY (2014)
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Lauren FurmanLauren is a Graphic Designer and Artist based in Toronto, Ontario. She graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU) with a Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design.
Originally from Red Lake, a small mining community in North-Western Ontario, Lauren grew up surrounded by nature and the work of Woodland artists. This led her to develop a strong connection towards the art style, which continues to influence her work. She experiments with unconventional canvases, plays with patterns and line work and borrows imagery from both rural and urban environments. |
Lauren Furman, Around the Fire (2018) |
Jacinda Brisson
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Jacinda Brisson is a student at Western University studying Fine Arts. One of the many styles Jacinda has adopted over the years is Woodland, with both stunning line and colour usage, she often uses alternate canvas for her work.
Jacinda has recently led paint parties for the RLIFC creating a simplified Woodland inspired landscape that was easy for participants to recreate. |
Jacinda Brission, New Beginnings (2017) |
Patrick Hunter
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Patrick Hunter is a 2 Spirit Ojibway artist, graphic designer, and entrepreneur from Red Lake, Ontario. In 2011, he made the move to Toronto to pursue a career in the arts after completing the graphic design program at Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Working part-time and contract to contract made it clear to Patrick that a major career decision would would need to be taken. Knowing that his cultural background was an asset to his success, in 2014 he launched Patrick Hunter Art & Design. Specializing in fine and digital artwork and designs from his Ojibway roots with the intent to create a broader awareness of Indigenous culture and iconography. He is best known for his paintings in the Woodland art style, but is also making a name for himself in the corporate world through artistic and graphic collaborations with RBC and BMO Banks, Ernst & Young, West Elm, Staples Promotional Products. eBay Canada, CTV and Global Affairs Canada to name a few. Patrick’s dream to create a positive future for his people has led him to become the first Artist in Residence for the Prince’s Trust Canada, a Royal charity in which aides in the reclamation of Indigenous languages in Canada. He currently resides in Toronto, and is busily preparing to launch a Made in Canada collection of apparel and houseware products, just in time for the holiday season. https://www.patrickhunter.ca/ |
Patrick Hunter, Oonie Lake |
Woodland ArT:
Alternative Canvas
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Painting On Denim
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1) Acrylic Paints (Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Green, White)
2) Textile Medium (Americana Fabric Paint)
3)Board or Canvas
4)Tape
5) Paint Brushes
6) Denim: Pants, Jacket, Vest or Bag
1) Acrylic Paints (Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Green, White)
2) Textile Medium (Americana Fabric Paint)
3)Board or Canvas
4)Tape
5) Paint Brushes
6) Denim: Pants, Jacket, Vest or Bag
STEP ONE
- Mix paints with textile medium:
STEP TWO
- drape denim over board/canvas and pull tight; seal with tape
- Use masking tape to section off your painting area
STEP THREE
- Using a colored pencil or chalk, lightly sketch your design on your denim garment
STEP FOUR
- using small to medium strokes, paint out your design.
- Note: painting a white base can help colours pop!
STEP FIVE
- After the piece has dried overnight, seal your design with heat.
- Iron it using a medium heat setting.