Canoes & Tipis

Lately I've been working back & forth between the large canvases I'm preparing for galleries to smaller pieces, like these 8x10 canoes & tipis.  Oddly enough, typically I've created more smaller tipis so this was a bit of a move up (though I have completed a few that measured 36x48) and with the canoes I wanted to celebrate Isaac Bignell and Benjamin Chee Chee as theirs was the first artwork I was exposed to as a child in the north.  I've enjoyed working on these so much that I think I may have to expand on them and create larger works with the same feeling.

As an artist, I am always inspired by those who have inspired me in the past but also but the things I've seen and learned in my lifetime.  I'm not certain where my love of colour came from, but I do know that whenever my palette includes sienna, umber, black, or beige-like colours I become disinterested.  I find that the artwork I'm drawn to is similar, utilizing more vibrant, pure colour.  In the beginning, I received a few suggestions to tone the colour palette down, but though I tried, I just couldn't do it.  Thankfully there are others in this world that feel as passionate about colour as I do.

NOTE:  For those who have asked, I am so pleased to share that they will soon be available through Delree's Native Art Gallery.