The Best Provenances of Norval Morrisseau Artwork (Part VII)

~ Reference for Morrisseau's collectors and investigators





















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"Untitled", © late 1970's Norval Morrisseau
~ PROVENANCE: originally traded by Clifford and Eleanor Whetung with Norval Morrisseau for an exchange for items from their Whetung Ojibwa Crafts and Art Gallery at Curve Lake First Nation, Ontario CANADA
/Click on image to Enlarge for a Closer Examination/


"I transmit astral plane harmonies through my brushes into the physical plane. These otherworld colours are reflected in the alphabet of nature, a grammar in which the symbols are plants, animals, birds, fishes, earth and sky. I am merely a channel for the spirit to utilize, and it is needed by a spirit starved society."

Norval Morrisseau-





Source: Private collector, Port Hope, ONTARIO


NOTE: Norval Morrisseau lived at Curve Lake First Nation, Ontario from 1979 to 1981 when he rented a house from Clifford and Eleanor Whetung.

BLOG MASTER'S COMMENT: Norval Morrisseau was known to use his fingers rather than the paint brushes alone to apply the paint on many artworks executed throughout his artistic career (click on the image above for a closer examination and pay attention to areas which were completed with use of finger(s) or click HERE for the proof of this statement - a "You Tube" video presentation showing Norval Morrisseau's use of his fingers while painting).

ADDITIONAL INFO FOR MORRISSEAU COLLECTORS: 
This painting is available for purchase at KIJIJI. For pricing and availability click HERE.


>>> Reference posts:
- The Morrisseau Legacy missing links (Part II)
  /The Whetungs of Curve Lake/,
- Norval Morrisseau Painting Techniques (Part II),
- Norval Morrisseau Painting Techniques (Part IV),
- Norval Morrisseau Painting Techniques (Part V),
- Norval Morrisseau Painting Techniques (Part VII),
- The Best Provenances of Norval Morrisseau Artwork (Part I),
- The Best Provenances of Norval Morrisseau Artwork (Part II),
- The Best Provenances of Norval Morrisseau Artwork (Part III),
- The Best Provenances of Norval Morrisseau Artwork (Part IV),
- The Best Provenances of Norval Morrisseau Artwork (Part V) &
- The Best Provenances of Norval Morrisseau Artwork (Part VI). -

* The acrylic painting on canvas in this post: "Untitled", 45"x33", © c. late 1970's Norval Morrisseau; PROVENANCE: originally traded by Clifford and Eleanor Whetung with Norval Morrisseau for an exchange for items from their Whetung Ojibwa Crafts and Art Gallery at Curve Lake First Nation, Ontario CANADA
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The Morrisseau Legacy missing links (Part III)

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The Whetungs of Curve Lake
/Curve Lake First Nation, Ontario CANADA/

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 ~ The following text was originally published in June 2000 ~

"Experience the beauty of our history and gain insight to the present during your visit to the Whetung Ojibwa Centre" reads the opening line of the promotional brochure. It is a fitting introduction to a building which houses one of the largest displays of Aboriginal arts and crafts one will ever see in North America. And that’s not all. In an adjacent building, formerly a cattle barn since renovated, is the heart of the operation where hides are prepared, crafts stored, and wholesale orders shipped to national and international clients. Next to the converted barn is a tea shop which serves delicious fried bread (zosgun), herbal teas, wild rice, corn soup and other tasty items. Located in the beautiful Kawartha Lakes Region near Lakefield, Ontario, the Centre stands as a monument to an enterprising family, the Whetungs of Curve Lake.

Entrepreneurship is nothing new to the Whetung family. Although the enterprise has been handed down to Michael Whetung who now owns and manages the Centre, the patriarch responsible for its existence is never far away. Whether tending his beloved flower gardens surrounding the complex, talking with tourists or helping out his son Michael, now-retired Clifford Edward Whetung has remained close to the business. He’ll be 82 years old in September, but he moves around with the energy of a man in his early 60s.

Whetung was born in the community which at that time was called the Mud Lake Indian Reserve. As we sit at the huge communal family table in a 100-year-old home which once housed the Whetung general store, he tells his story. “It was a good life...things were a little more primitive.We had no electricity so everything was done by hand. It was a hunting and fishing situation more than anything.”

The Ojibwa people used to hunt and fish throughout the area until the signing of the Williams Treaty in 1923. It restricted any hunting and fishing to the 1,000 acres of land allotted to them, a peninsula between Curve Lake and Buckhorn Lake.

“We were always entrepreneurs, I think,”Whetung says. “My grandfather who died in 1928 was the original Dan Whetung. He farmed and fished and had a little store.” The store was built with lumber floated over from nearby Jacobs Island, when the New England Company, a trading post, ceased to exist shortly before the signing of the treaty.“The store business in those days provided things that you could not produce yourself such as sugar, flower and tea.”The family slept upstairs over the store.

Five generations of Whetungs have kept the family business growing.Whetung’s father put in cabins which were rented to tourists who came to the area to canoe and fish. They would eat at the main house which also housed the store.When Whetung took over from his aging father, he added arts and crafts. “We started selling a few of the handicrafts that were produced here to a few of the tourists...we eventually got out of the farming business and so converted our barn...it just kept evolving.”

Financing was not a problem as Whetung was able to secure a bank loan. “The Royal Bank at Peterborough was not supposed to finance people on Indian reserves. But he (the manager) said “I don’t exactly agree with that policy.” He was more interested in the character of the people he dealt with than in assets for collateral.

Whetung’s life and business partner, his wife Eleanor, is an integral part of the business and is still active in its daily operation. Her first association with Curve Lake was as the public health nurse assigned to the reserve. It was natural that they would meet as the general store also served as a medical dispensary. They have been married for almost 56 years.

The burgeoning summer craft business soon outgrew its location in the store/lodge/family residence. “We decided we had to build a new building...I had the boys cut the logs for the building, we dragged them out, then dug the hole and put them up with the help of a good friend of mine from Peterborough.”Whetung makes clear that they had many people help them along the way. The construction of the Centre is a good example of this. His friend, who is in the structural engineering business, brought an architect to the project. Clifford and Eleanor Whetung were initially alarmed.“I asked him about how much the architect was going to be.” The answer was that his company, Timber Structures, would take on a project every year that they thought would be good for the community. Timber Structures sold them the materials at wholesale prices from their plant in British Columbia.“So they designed it and we put the logs up with a couple of elderly band members who were experienced in the trade.”

The Whetung Ojibwa Centre officially opened in May, 1966. In 1980, a new addition doubled its size.

Today, the Whetungs go to large gift trade shows twice a year, and orders keep coming in from across Canada, Europe and the United States. The art gallery carries the work of well-known artists, such as Norval Morrisseau and Maxine Noel. “We’ve had a tremendous amount of help from other people. We’ve maintained all of the people from the reserve as employees. I don’t think you could
find a better place to live and work than Curve Lake, really! It’s got everything.”

His advice for would-be entrepreneurs? “I would say, do what you think is right and always remember that you only get out of business what you put into it. If you take too much, you’ve got nothing left.”

The Whetung Ojibwa Centre is well worth the visit if you can manoeuvre around the bus tours and the tens of thousands of tourists who gather at this little million-dollar miracle in the woods every summer. A museum chronicling the history of the community and the business is in the making and Clifford or Eleanor Whetung are never far away for a friendly chat. You’ll probably find them in the tea room.

Much more could be added to describe the Centre, but the brochure says it best. “Indian-owned and operated.”

Fred Favel


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Source: "Circles of Light" - June 2000

Ref. Link: http://www.facebook.com/WhetungOjibwaCentre 
                 /Facebook/

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NOTE: Norval Morrisseau lived at Curve Lake First Nation, Ontario from 1979 to 1981 when he rented a house from Clifford and Eleanor Whetung.


>>> Reference posts:
- The Morrisseau Legacy missing links (Part I),
- The Morrisseau Legacy missing links (Part II),
- The Art of Norval Morrisseau in Commercial Art Galleries Around the World (Part XXXI) &
  /Whetung Gallery /Curve Lake First Nation, Ontario CANADA/
- Morrisseau's artwork in Auction Houses, Commercial Art Galleries & Museums Around the World.-
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Catalogue SILVER: Celebrating 25 Years

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-Lattimer Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia

© 2011 Lattimer Gallery
/Click on image for more information/


SILVER: Celebrating 25 Years, featuring a display of 25 works by 25 artists to commemorate Lattimer Gallery's 25th anniversary specializing in Northwest Coast Native art.

Lattimer Gallery has released a comprehensive catalogue to accompany this exhibition. Many of the pieces were commissioned for the show, from jewellery and sculptures to paintings and basketry. Silver will contain a diverse selection of works by John Alexander (Gitksan), Beau Dick (Kwakwaka'wakw), Phil Gray (Tsimshian/Cree), Landon Gunn (Kwakwaka'wakw/Metis), Francis Horne Sr. (Coast Salish), Rob Long Jing (Haida), Sharifah Marsden (Ojibwa), James Michels (Metis/Cree), Corey Moraes (Tsimshian), Norval Morrisseau (Ojibwa), Earl Muldon (Gitksan), Daphne Odjig (Ojibwa), Marie Oldfield (Haida/Tsimshian), Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Haida), Jay Simeon (Haida/Blackfoot), Rod Smith Galuyagmi (Kwakwaka'wakw), Steve Smith Dla'kwagila (Kwakwaka'wakw), Kelvin Thompson (Ojibwa/Saulteaux/Haisla), Nathan Wilson (Haisla) and Clint Work (Kwakwaka'wakw).

~ Edited by Peter Lattimer; Design and layout by Cissy Chan; Photography by Lara Hill; Text edited by Cissy Chan, Erin Ramsay and Jada Tellier.


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Source: Lattimer gallery Blog @ http://lattimergallery.blogspot.com 


>>> Reference posts:
- Friends of Norval Morrisseau (Part VIII) /Leona Lattimer/,
- Masterpieces of Norval Morrisseau III &
- Humour of Norval Morrisseau (Part II) .
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Susan Murar about Norval Morrisseau

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Portrait of Norval Morrisseau (detail) Illustration by Spirit Walker

© Susan Murar; Photography by Lucinda Jones

/Click on image to Enter Susan Murar's website/

Portrait (White clay): 6'-4" x 3'-6" x 2'-2" (Height x Width x Depth)

Staff (White clay): 3'-10" x 1'-10" x 10" (Height x Width x Depth)

/The portrait has not yet been cast into bronze/

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* Inquires from patrons and cultural institutions wordwide will be welcomed-

SHAMAN ARTIST-Norval Morrisseau has not left us, love never leaves, it defines life. He was aware as an artist in this world that the quest and the goal of all life is to reach the pinnacle of understanding the concept of love. The subtext of all his life's work - and he heard it in Spirit - "It is essential that all life respect life". Love. His creations were defined by love. Humankind is in the process of discover­ing the definition of love, and Norval was well aware of this in every cell of his Being. He did everything that was within his powers to move us closer to this understanding, through his paintings.

He has told us that he is a child of the stars, and he tried to tell us that we too are star children. He demonstrated beautifully, artistically, that there is no balance between spirit life and physical life, there is no contest - the Spirit is always #1. Because of this and he understood this instinctively, joy is our legacy, "wherever joy is, you are". Norval knew this and he gave this to us intimately as "Copper Thunderbird" shaman artist.

He has not left us, he is here celebrating his gifts to us as we continue to receive them. For generations to come - the joy of his creations will speak to us of this great artist, and we will wonder and certainly rejoice as he was so much a part of us, and we of him. As we are all - always in all ways - he was a messenger.

"All is well, blessings be."-

Susan Murar

ZUSKA GEVURAH

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>>> Reference post:

- The Sculpture of Norval Morrisseau by Susan Murar (Part I),
- The Sculpture of Norval Morrisseau by Susan Murar (Part II),
--/ARTIST STATEMENT/

- The Sculpture of Norval Morrisseau by Susan Murar (Part III)
--/HOW THE NORVAL MORRISSEAU WAS SCULPTED?/ &

- The Sculpture of Norval Morrisseau by Susan Murar (Part IV)
--/"LEARNING TO CREATE ART THROUGH THE EYES OF YOUR HEART"/.-
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The Importance of Art Education

x
x
by lisaroselasaga


"The Shaman Artist
Wishes to express to us
Through
The art form
That we are all
Like children

Our childlike simplicity
With dignity and sweet humility
We view
One environment
and
Remind us of the Pure Spirit
Expressing itself upon ourselves."

Norval Morrisseau, 1983-


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Recommended readings (Part XV)

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"Copper Thunderbird", © 2010 Marie Clements


Copper Thunderbird is a play on canvases based on the life of Norval Morrisseau. Inside the power-lines which Morrisseau boldly defined in his art were the colours he experienced between his Ojibwa cosmology, his life on the street, and his spiritual and philosophical transformations to become the Father of Contemporary Native Art and a Grand Shaman. Appearing simultaneously in this multi-layered drama as a small boy, a young warrior and an old man, Morrisseau confronts his many selves over the Faustian destiny he encountered during his vision quest - momentary terror that led to a life wracked by both triumph and ordeal, drawing his vibrant colours, both luminous and dark, from the life-force within him.

Norval Morrisseau is notorious for the life he has led, the company he has kept, the wives, lovers, parasitic drinking buddies and abusive family members he has had and passed through as if they were merely insubstantial phantoms. The paintings he has sold to buy another bottle of alcohol, to get through another brutal day, hang in galleries around the world, a phenomenon Morrisseau himself simply took for granted. Framed variously with the identities of Indian, Artist and Shaman, Copper Thunderbird interrogates both the stereotypes and the politically correct judgments that have manufactured Morrisseau’s public personae, creating a power-figure that transcends culture and morality, earth and water, fire and air.

ISBN 13: 9780889225688
ISBN 10: 889225680





Source: www.talonbooks.com 

* - To order this book click HERE.

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>>> Reference posts:
- Recommended readings (Part I)

/'Dear M: Letters from a Gentleman of Excess' by JACK POLLOCK/,
- Recommended readings (Part II)
/'NORVAL MORRISSEAU: ARTIST AS SHAMAN' by BARY ACE/,
- Recommended readings (Part III)
/'History of the Ojibwa People' by WILLIAM W. WARREN/,
- Recommended readings (Part IV)
/'I am an Indian' - Edited by GEORGE KENTNER GOODERHAM/,
- Recommended readings (Part V)
/'NORVAL MORRISSEAU: SHAMAN ARTIST' by GREG A. HILL/,
- Recommended readings (Part VI)
/'Crooked River' by SHELLEY PEARSALL/,
- Recommended readings (Part VII)
/‘Me Sexy: An Exploration of Native Sex and Sexuality’ by DREW HAYDEN TAYLOR/,
- Recommended readings (Part VIII)
/'Ojibway Heritage' by BASIL JOHNSTON/,
- Recommended readings (Part IX)
/'Windigo and Other Tales of the Ojibways' - Edited by HERBERT T. SCHWARTZ/,
- Recommended readings (Part X)
/'Norval Morrisseau: Travels to the House of Invention' by NORVAL MORRISSEAU/KRG/
- Recommended readings (Part XI)
/'CHIPPEWA CUSTOMS' by FRANCES DENSMORE/

- Recommended readings (Part XII)

/"Sacred Legends of the Sandy Lake Cree" by JAMES R. STEVENS/
- Recommended readings (Part XIII)
 /"The White Ojibway Medicine Man And Other Stories" by Joseph Weinstein, Md/
- Recommended readings (Part XIV)
 /"Norval Morrisseau and the Woodland Artists: The Red Lake Years 1959 - 1980"
    by CHRISTINE PENNER POLLE/.
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NORVAL MORRISSEAU UNLIMITED

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Catalogue Raisonné For The Limited Editions
/The Scientific Blog Project/- 

"Fish People", Silkscreen © 1979 Norval Morrisseau;
                       Printer: ALVO Canadian Art Ltd.
                       /Click on image to enter the project/ --


About the project & Mission

Background

For all the original paintings and drawings; the Norval Morrisseau Heritage Society (NMHS) has accepted the task (in 2005) to work on a catalogue raisonné, documenting every known work created by the artist. The large amount of - unrecorded - Norval Morrisseau originals will understandably lead to years of research and investigation by the NMHS.

Documenting original signed limited edition silkscreens/serigraphs and lithographs are not part of their mission. Therefore this project will deal with original signed limited editions, With the mission statement as written below.

If you own a Norval Morrisseau painting and would like to document it, you can contact the NMHS(Norval Morrisseau Heritage Society) at norvalmorrisseauheritage@gmail.com.

If you own a Norval Morrisseau limited edition print, you can contribute in this blog research project.

Mission Statement

This project's mission is to document all original signed limited editions of Norval Morrisseau. Norval Morrisseau Unlimited uses an on-line blog for the following reasons:

- to stimulate owners of a piece to contribute factual information.

- to support the art market.

Contribute to the research! -

If you have a limited edition of Norval Morrisseau, you can help to add factual information, which are still missing in the on-line Catalogue Raisonné. Search for the edition, in which you own a piece, in the “list (so far)”, look at the information and:

- confirm (or unconfirm) the written information (the more confirmations, the more reliable the information);

- send the unknown information.

Contribute by sending your information to morrisseau.unlimited@gmail.com or by adding a comment (with the information) to a posting, by clicking on the posting title of your edition. It does not matter if a posting is old, you can always respond. See the on-line blog as a database, in which information will continuous be added.

Content

All information mentioned are factual registered by one ore more sources. For the codification of the sources and the reliability, see ‘codification’.

The limited editions will be numbered. For the codification of the numbering, see ‘codification‘.

For the first year, after the launch of this project, there will be new postings of known limited edition prints posted on a regular basis.

Blog master’s personal note

I am really fond of limited editions and I love the art of Norval Morrisseau. The combination is magical, to me. I discovered his art in the beginning of 2000 and it was the start of a special journey.

During these last 9 years I followed his art and collected almost scientifically al kind of information. This was not as easy as I expected for a well known and respected Canadian artist. However all my collected information of limited editions is the basis of this project “Catalogue Raisonné for the Limited Editions’.

I hope all owners will contribute to finalise this non-commercial project and that everyone will enjoy this site during the project.

Warm regards,

Frank Kortstee, 05/24/2009

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* Blog Master's comment: I would like to invite and encourage all of the readers of THE NORVAL MORRISSEAU BLOG to assist Mr. Frank Kortstee in this important and honourable project! Chi Miigwetch, Spirit Walker.

"Copper Thunderbird" at 'Western Edge Theatre' in Nanaimo, BC ends TOMORROW!

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Nanaimo Centre Stage, 25 Victoria Road





















"Norval Wife & Norval Man", © Mary Kerr
/The costumes designed for the National Arts Centre presentation of "Copper Thunderbird"/
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The long-awaited Western Edge production of Copper Thunderbird arrives with one of Canada's best known actors in the headline role. Lorne Cardinal, who delighted over a million Canadians each week as Sergeant Davis Quinton in the hit TV series "Corner Gas," takes on a much different role here: as the great painter Norval Morrisseau.

Called the "Picasso of the North," Morrisseau -- who spent the last years of his life in Nanaimo -- was a genius whose work was exhibited in leading galleries around the world. And yet he also lived for long periods on the streets of Vancouver, selling his sketches for spare change and battling the demons that came to him as powerfully as his art. In Galiano playwright Marie Clement's vibrantly theatrical telling, Morrisseau is seen simultaneously as a boy, young man, and old man, as the canvas of his extraordinary life unfurls before him.

Joining Lorne Cardinal is a diverse cast of stage veterans and newcomers gathered from throughout Vancouver Island, bringing to life a rich tapestry of biographical and fantasy characters. Like Morrisseau's paintings, Copper Thunderbird is playful, daring, and rich in beauty and spirit.

Tickets: 250-668-0991 (Nanaimo) or 1-888-320-3343

Source: 'Western Edge Theatre' - Nanaimo's professional theatre with a community feel



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Additional info: "From set to stage" by Melissa Fryer - Nanaimo News Bulletin; "Soaring Artist" - Copper Thunderbird paints the vivid life of Norval Morrisseau by Martin Morrow - CBC.


>>> Reference posts:
- "Copper Thunderbird",
- Marie Clements about Norval Morrisseau,
- 'Western Edge Theatre' in Nanaimo, BC Presents: &
- "Copper Thunderbird: Invention, Inspiration and Transformation" at UVic's Legacy Gallery.-
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-* Illustrations for this post are of the two costumes of UVic Theatre Professor Mary Kerr (Norval Wife & Norval Man) she designed for the National Arts Centre presentation of "Copper Thunderbird", a play about the life of one of Canada's great artists, Norval Morrisseau

Marie Clements about Norval Morrisseau

 

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Marie Clements, playwright
/© Photography by Laird Mackintosh/


“I could probably write 10 more plays about Norval Morrisseau. His life as an artist and a human being is extraordinary in its scale and its passion.

It’s like he’s been everywhere. You say that you’re doing a piece on Norval Morrisseau and everybody has a story about him, whether it was in Thunder Bay or Winnipeg, or Paris or L.A. or Vancouver. And he was very different things to different people.

Copper Thunderbird is a very powerful animal to take on. I don’t know of any other artist that has risen despite all odds to become what he is. There were many things in his life that threatened to bring him down, but he was able to keep getting up and rise higher from those experiences”

Marie Clements, writer & producer of "Copper Thunderbird"



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Source: "Soaring Artist" - Copper Thunderbird paints the vivid life of Norval Morrisseau by Martin Morrow - CBC.


>>> Reference posts:
- "Copper Thunderbird",
- 'Western Edge Theatre' in Nanaimo, BC Presents: &
- "Copper Thunderbird: Invention, Inspiration and Transformation" at UVic's Legacy Gallery. 
-

'Western Edge Theatre' in Nanaimo, BC Presents:

-
Nanaimo Centre Stage, 25 Victoria Road

-













Wed., Sept. 21st, 2011 - Thur., Sept. 22nd, 2011
Fri., September 23, Sat. September 24, Sun., September 25, 2011 ~ 7:30 pm
MATINEE: Sun., September 25, 2011 ~ 2 pm


The long-awaited Western Edge production of Copper Thunderbird arrives with one of Canada's best known actors in the headline role. Lorne Cardinal, who delighted over a million Canadians each week as Sergeant Davis Quinton in the hit TV series "Corner Gas," takes on a much different role here: as the great painter Norval Morrisseau.

Called the "Picasso of the North," Morrisseau -- who spent the last years of his life in Nanaimo -- was a genius whose work was exhibited in leading galleries around the world. And yet he also lived for long periods on the streets of Vancouver, selling his sketches for spare change and battling the demons that came to him as powerfully as his art. In Galiano playwright Marie Clement's vibrantly theatrical telling, Morrisseau is seen simultaneously as a boy, young man, and old man, as the canvas of his extraordinary life unfurls before him.

Joining Lorne Cardinal is a diverse cast of stage veterans and newcomers gathered from throughout Vancouver Island, bringing to life a rich tapestry of biographical and fantasy characters. Like Morrisseau's paintings, Copper Thunderbird is playful, daring, and rich in beauty and spirit.

Tickets: 250-668-0991 (Nanaimo) or 1-888-320-3343

Source: 'Western Edge Theatre' - Nanaimo's professional theatre with a community feel



-

Additional info: "From set to stage" by Melissa Fryer - Nanaimo News Bulletin; "Soaring Artist" - Copper Thunderbird paints the vivid life of Norval Morrisseau by Martin Morrow - CBC.


>>> Reference posts:
- "Copper Thunderbird",
- 'Western Edge Theatre' in Nanaimo, BC Presents: &
- "Copper Thunderbird: Invention, Inspiration and Transformation" at UVic's Legacy Gallery.-
-

>>> Morrisseau Sculptor: Susan Murar /Learning to create art through the eyes of your heart/

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Portrait of Norval Morrisseau (detail) Illustration by Spirit Walker

© Susan Murar; Photography by Lucinda Jones

/Click on image to Enter Susan Murar's website/

--

Portrait (White clay): 6'-4" x 3'-6" x 2'-2" (Height x Width x Depth)

Staff (White clay): 3'-10" x 1'-10" x 10" (Height x Width x Depth)

/The portrait has not yet been cast into bronze/

-

* Inquires from patrons and cultural institutions wordwide will be welcomed-
-
-
 "LEARNING TO CREATE ART THROUGH THE EYES OF YOUR HEART"

When you draw, sculpt/paint anything on Earth, become the thing you are creating as art. Feel compassion and synchronicity with its life force. See with your heart and your eyes will see truth. Truth is love, and love is the reason you exist...to love yourself and know that you share the spirit within every energy that exists in the universe.

When you try to create again, through art, what has already been created, your path is pure and you become one with the all of everything...and all of everything becomes a part of you. Whether you draw or sculpt, be with joy for joy is also love and heart-connection, and becoming who you were meant to truly be now, in this moment of perfection.

Through you spirit has learned to sing, because of your eyes the world exists in all its complex beauty, "Create as you were created" in art and all other manifestations - see through your heart and your eyes will follow, and frustration will open to awareness and, technical facility. You will become what you desire and desire stirs all creation and artistic endeavor.

"I desire to create beautiful and meaningful form and line. I desire to search within myself for artistic expression that is unique to me, I desire to learn to create art to understand my world, I desire to feel passionate about life through art - because I am an artist. I desire to know the totality of my capabilities in imagination, and, what does my art say about me?"

As an artist and as a human being, I wish to be a part of everything - life. We feel through our heart the fragility of life in all its intimacy, for "intimacy is the world."

Susan Murar, Sculptor
BA, MFA, AOCAD

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>>> Reference post:

- Susan Murar about Norval Morrisseau, 
- The Sculpture of Norval Morrisseau by Susan Murar (Part I),
- The Sculpture of Norval Morrisseau by Susan Murar (Part II),
--/ARTIST STATEMENT/

- The Sculpture of Norval Morrisseau by Susan Murar (Part III)
--/HOW THE NORVAL MORRISSEAU WAS SCULPTED?/ &

- The Sculpture of Norval Morrisseau by Susan Murar (Part IV)
--/"LEARNING TO CREATE ART THROUGH THE EYES OF YOUR HEART"/.-

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Norval Morrisseau & Woodland Art Movement

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-Shaman-Visionary-Storyteller-Artist
- Anishinaabe/Canadian Painter-


© 2008 by Vanessa Liston


In an address presented in 1980 at the University of Western Ontario, Goyce Kakegamic, a prominent Anishnaabe (Woodland) artist stated:

"The aim...was not merely to establish a realistic record. The artist quickly realized that he could not draw a tree or animal as perfectly as it was made by the Creator so, in good sense, he did not try to do so. Instead, he sought out the spirit, or essence, of the tree, and represented this in his painting. This is the semi-magical characteristic so common to Native Art. The painting depicts the soul of the object. The art of representing visions or mental impressions is not new.

Today, the artist must turn to the elders of the community for age-old stories and legends, and infuse them with artistic meaning. Only those who have shared in native life gain the insights necessary to recreate that life in an art form. The basic rule is to arouse an emotional response in the audience. If the artist does not succeed in this, it may be either his own failure or that of the audience itself.

Woodland Native Art is not a primitive art form. It involves the latest in media and techniques. Its practitioners are not untrained or illiterate. The messages contained in the works are neither crude nor unsophisticated. Woodland Art is not an anachronistic curiosity cherished for its furtive glimpses into a bygone age. It is rather a representation of current philosophy and a culture that is alive and well today.

...Please do not think of us as 'Indian' artists, but rather, as artists who happen to be Indian".

Goyce Kakegamic - one of the founders of the Tripe K Cooperative


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Source (Text): "Art in the Woodland Tradition" - Compiled and Edited by William F. Colborne /Used with permission/


Note: Founded by Henry, Joshim and Goyce Kakegamic the Triple K Cooperative was a silkscreening company that reproduced their own work, as well as that of other artists like Paddy Peters, Barry Peters, Saul Williams, and their brother-in-law Norval Morrisseau.
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>>> My art speaks and will continue to speak... in 2011 & Beyond

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* Added translations in Farsi, Russian, Serbian & Ukrainian

 

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Norval Morrisseau/Copper Thunderbird (1931-2007)

~ Illustration by Spirit Walker--


"My art speaks and will continue to speak, transcending barriers of nationality, language and other forces that may be divisive, fortifying the greatness of the spirit that has always been the foundation of the Ojibwa people." /English/

"Mon art parle et continuera de parler, franchissant les frontières de nationalités, de langues et autre forces pouvant créer des divisions, enrichissant la grandeur de l'esprit qui a toujours été le fondement du peuple d'Ojibwa." /French/

"Moja umjetnost govori i nastaviti će govoriti, prevazilazeći prepreke nacionalnosti, jezika i ostalih sila koje mogu da razdvajaju, utvrđujući veličinu duha koji je oduvijek bio temelj Ojibwa naroda." /Croatian/

"Моја уметност говори и наставиће да говори, превазилазећи препреке националности, језика и осталих сила које могу да раздвајају, утврђујући величину духа који је одувек био темељ Ојибва народа." /Serbian/

"Mijn kunst spreekt en zal blijven spreken, grens overstijgend in nationaliteit, taal en andere krachten die kunnen leiden tot verdeeldheid, versterken de grootsheid van de geest, dat altijd de basis is geweest van het Ojibwa volk." /Dutch/

"Mi arte habla y continuará hablando, trascendiendo las barreras de nacionalidad, lenguaje y otras fuerzas que pudiesen ser divisivas, fortificando la grandeza del espíritu que siempre ha sido la base de la gente de Ojibwa." /Spanish/

"Моє мистецтво промовляє і продовжуватиме говорити, долаючи перешкоди національності, мови та інших сил, які можуть породжувати чвари й незгоди, укріплюючи велич Духу, який завжди був підвалиною народу Оджибвей." /Ukrainian/

“내 예술은 민족, 언어 및 그 외의 분열적인 세력을 초월하고 오지브와 사람들의 근간이 되어 왔던 위대한 정신을 강화하는 것을 얘기하고 있고 앞으로도 그러할 것이다”--/Korean/

"A művészetem beszél és tovább beszél miközben túlszárnyalja olyan nemzetiségnek, nyelvnek és másik erőknek az akadályait, amik megosztóak lehetnek miközben megerősítik annak a szellemnek a nagyságát, ami mindig az Ojibwa nép alapja volt." /Hungarian/

"Мое искусство говорит и будет продолжать говорить, преодолевая преграды национальности, языка и других сил, которые могут сеять распри и разногласия, укрепляя величие Духа, который всегда был основой народа Оджибвей." /Russian/

"我用艺术的语言讲话，而且我将一如既往的这样讲，超越国籍，语言和其他分裂势力的障碍，加强印第安人固有的伟大精神." /Chinese/

"Min konst vill överbrygga nationella, språkliga och andra hinder. Den vill befästa den andliga styrka somalltid präglat Ojibwa-folket."  /Swedish/

"Ang akin sining ay magpapatuloy, di natatakdaan nag anumang balakid nang lahi, wika o anumang lakas. Ito ay magbigay ng spiritong kalakasan na magpakalayman na nasa puso ng mga Ojibwa."  /Tagalog/

هنر من حرف میزند و ادامه خواهد داد فراتر از موانع ملیت ، زبان و دیگر نیروهایی .که میتوانند تفرقه اندازی کنند

قدرت و عظمت روحی و معنوی که همیشه پایه و اساس مردمان اجیبوا است  

/Farsi/

Norval Morrisseau


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NOTE: Send tanslations in other laguages of Mother Earth for the above stated Norval Morrisseau's quote to: spiritwalker2008@gmail.com .

* The illustration of this post is constisted of: The photograph of Norval Morrisseau taken at the opening of his first art exhibition at Pollock Gallery in Toronto, 1962; The background image taken from the illustration of the book "Crooked River" by Shelley Pearsall /ISBN: 0-375-82389-1/. The "Copper Thunderbird" Syllabics signature of Norval Morrisseau extracted from an original painting: "Syllabics": 53"x112", © 1980 Norval Morrisseau /Private Collection/