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CAnAdiAn Art Prints - meet the Artists Derek Thomas
Derek Thomas is a Metis artist who was born in 1982 in Duncan, B.C. Being raised in the Valley surrounded by the culture of the Coast Salish people he was drawn at a young age not to his Metis heritage, that he was unfamiliar with, but to the art and culture of his environment. Mostly self-taught, he started carving in 2005, and was inspired to paint shortly after by his Coast Salish uncle Richard Johnson.
Garnet Tobacco
Garnet Tobacco, a Cree artist, was born on February 6th, 1964 in Mouse Lake, Manitoba. The Buffalo is his family crest symbol. Garnet, a prolific talent, has been painting for over twenty years and occasionally sculpts in soapstone and wood. He apprenticed under Isaac Bignel. Some of the animals that he loves to paint are those common to the plains region such as bison, herons, eagles, and hawks, but he also explores the marine world with his salmon, whales and turtles, as well as some truly delightful works depicting subjects like the butterfly, hummingbirds and loons.
Jerry Whitehead
Cree artist Jerry Whitehead, born in 1957, is from the James Smith First Nation. Jerry received a Bachelor of Arts in Indian Art, S.I.F.C from the University of Regina in 1983. He also completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Nova Scotia College of Arts and Design in Halifax in 1987.
When asked about what inspires his work, Jerry says, “Powwow dancers have been an ongoing theme in my work since I began painting. Seeing the dancers as a child had a lasting impression...”
fCecil Youngfox
Before his untimely death in 1987 at age 45, Cecil Youngfox had established himself as one of Canada’s leading native artists, renowned for his vivid, sensitive images of native cultural traditions. Today, hisstrong, imaginative vision remains as strong as ever, drawing the respect and interest of private and public collectors throughout the world. Mr. Youngfox was born in 1942 in Blind River, Ontario of Ojibway and Metis parents. Among the many honours bestowed on him, Mr. Youngfox received the Aboriginal Order of Canada for his work in preserving his native heritage.
fTodd Baker
One of Canada’s foremost First Nation artists, Todd Baker is the grandson of the (late) great leader and speaker Chief Khot-la-cha (Chief Simon Baker) of the Coast Salish tribe of the Squamish Nation located in the beautiful city of Vancouver. With honor and by request, he began drawing for his tribe in his preteens and had ‘The National Living Treasure’ Bill Reid critique his first instrumental crest design, and instead of using his thunderbird design as the new logo for the Squamish tribe, he went straight to a limited edition and hasn’t looked back.
Isaac Bignell
Isaac Bignell was a Cree painter, born in 1958 on the Pas Reserve, 400 miles north of Winnipeg in Manitoba. Isaac moved to Winnipeg, then to Minneapolis and later to Vancouver.Outside of a few art classes, Isaac was a self-taught painter who developed his own style of sponge painting, of wildlife images distinguished by flowing lines. “I hoop dance and sing Pow Wows to maintain my cultural heritage”.