WE ARE ALL NORVAL'S CHILDREN

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* Below presented text was originally published on December 14th, 2007 (click HERE)
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"My Children", © 1980 Norval Morrisseau
/Click on image to Enlarge/
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WE ARE ALL NORVAL'S CHILDREN
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When I first met Norval in Sandy Lake in 1970 he was 39 years of age. Harriet was tending to a summer cooking fire outside their two room home where there was a stack of paintings piled up about 24 cm high on a table in the corner. Norval hoisted up one of his toddlers and another child stood shyly between his legs. Norval was in great spirits as he chatted with his old friend, our pilot, Robbie Lavack who had brought him more paint supplies. Norval eagerly displayed his prodigious summer output which was on the brown kraft paper that Robbie had brought in a large roll from the Dryden Paper Mill. I was a student and had never heard of Norval Morrisseau but I could feel the greatness emanating from those sheets of paper. I stepped aside as Robbie and Norval talked business. Norval wanted to sell more works to help with his growing family and he wanted Robbie to help him. After about a half hour visit, we were gone.

I flew in and out with only a fleeting impression of Norval and Harriet’s life in the Sandy Lake community. Over the years I heard a lot more about the decade plus that Robbie and Norval spent interacting - one highlight of which was the art circuit which Robbie created for Norval and Carl Ray. Norval and his lovingly called “white eyes” pal were obviously very close.
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In 2004 I acted as the conduit to bring Robbie and Norval together again. Robbie flew in from Sweden for a touching meeting with Norval in his hotel room. We were with Norval for three pleasant hours together with Gabe and Michele Vadas. It was clear to me that as delighted as Norval had been with his children in 1970, he was now with Gabe and Michele. I sensed they were his ‘home’.

I went to the afternoon visitations for Norval Morrisseau on Dec. 6 and 7, 2007 where there was a lot of tension - something I found disturbing and ironic at the same time. It was disturbing because values in conflict are never easily resolved. It was ironic because through his art and his life, Norval has made us all his children.

I feel certain after having seen Norval look at his children in Sandy Lake in 1970 and in Toronto in 2004 with eyes of love that Norval’s spirit, hovering somewhere above St. Clair Avenue West and later Spadina, embraced us all.
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Angie Littlefield
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Source: http://angielittlefield.com
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* The acrylic painting on canvas in this post: "My Children", © 1980 Norval Morrisseau /Private Collection/