Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part XIX)

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Saul Williams (b. 1954)
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"Homage to Morrisseau", © c. 1980 Saul Williams
/Click on image to Enlarge/
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Saul Williams, a former member of the Triple K Co-operative, was born on the peninsula at North Caribou Lake, Ontario on April 20th, 1954. He was the son of the late Mike Williams and Annie Quequish of the Little Crane clan. He is one of nine children in a family of three boys and six sisters. Saul attended Indian Affairs Day School until grade eight. As a child he was always interested in pictures and began drawing as soon as he got his hands on a pencil and paper. Saul attributes much of his creative ability to his uncle, Mayo Quequish who was always drawing and creating cardboard replicas of airplanes and other objects seen in Ontario’s far north.
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Saul received his first paints from Mary Black-Rogers, an anthropologist who spent many years at Weagamow Lake with her husband, Dr. Ed Rogers of the Royal Ontario Museum. In the summer of 1969 Saul sold his first painting for 5 dollars. Saul Williams held his first art show at York University in 1971. Over the years he has combined artistic pursuit with a series of jobs: carpentry; firefighting, dockhand, art teacher in northern schools and school counsellor.
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Saul’s motivation for painting is to share knowledge and tradition with all peoples. ‘Much racism in the world is due to the lack of understanding each other,’ he says. Saul also seems himself as a ‘record keeper’ of his people’s beliefs that are rapidly disappearing in the wave of bland western media that has invaded homes all over the world. Saul’s vibrant paintings are held in the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg and the Woodland Indian Cultural Education Centre in Brantford, Ontario; the Royal Ontario Museum, the New College in Toronto as well as many private collections in North America.
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He participated at the Woodland Arts Festival in July of 2008 where he contrbuted in Art Talks and met with youth to share his extensive knowledge of the art world.
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Source (image): This Saul Williams' "Homage to Morrisseau" was used as the cover art for NORVAL MORRISSEAU AND THE EMERGENCE OF THE IMAGE MAKERS; ISBN: 0-458-97390-4, Art Gallery of Ontario, 1984 /Methuen Publications/
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>>> Reference posts:
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part I) /Carl Ray/
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part II) /Daphne Odjig/
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part III) /Benjamin Chee Chee/
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part IV) /Jackson Beardy/
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part V) /Joshim Kakegamic/
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part VI) /Roy Thomas/
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part VII) /Arthur Shilling/
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part VIII) /Alex Janvier/
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part IX) /Eddy Cobiness/
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part X) /Martin Panamick/
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part XI) /James A. Simon - MISHIBINIJIMA/,
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part XII) /Carl Beam/,
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part XIII) /Norman Knott/,
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part XIV) /Clemence Wescoupe/,
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part XV) /Cecil Youngfox/,
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part XVI) /Goyce Kakegamic/,
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part XVII) /Leland Bell BEBAMINOJMAT/,
- Great Anishinaabe/Woodland Artists (Part XVIII) /Ahmoo Angeconeb,
- Red Lake Woodland Arts Festival: A Tribute to Norval Morrisseau and the Woodland Artists in 23 DAYS! & - IN MEMORIAM: NORVAL MORRISSEAU .
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* The painting in this post: "Homage to Morrisseau", 24"x 20", c. 1979-1980 © Saul Williams. The image of Saul Williams' painting was used for the front cover of the above mentioned book /Private Collection/