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Really? Well ill skip to the mopre interestring and relavent stuff. 

Like I mentioned I am a member of the Kahnawake Mohawks. We are just south accrolss the river from Montreal, Quebec Canada. I went to school on then off the first nation reserve. Not much art instruction or history. Don,t ask me about other artists because I really don t know them.  Any of them. 

But I won the art prize in my eighth school year at a private school in the eastern townships. Rather my seventh year because I skipped one year and was advanced to the next.  Other than that the only art course I took was much later in life at the Montreal westmount art centre.

So What I'm getting at is that I am self taught.  

My real art carreer began in an old church in Quebec City. I had my first vernisage at St. _____ church in 1982. also in that year two of my works won a juried selection into the indian art centres national collection of Canada.  You will find me listed somewhere in their directory.  

Other than that I had other exhibits in or near montreal. One crazy adventure I had was to organize an association of indian artists in quebec. We had nine members from various reserves in the Quebec province. We were the first ever to have our work on exhibit in the international art expo in or around 1983 in Montreal. The association faded away whaen the funding ran out. It seems government sponsors did not recognize that we could prersent work within the catagory of fine art. All funding was geered toward the indian art and craft industry. Maybe we should have went on to decorate moccasins or something like that.  

Oh yes, I did write a chidrens book and had both english and mohawk manuscipts. I dedicated several paintings for the book. weel it all went up in smoke at the community council office when the place burnt down. Only one half of a burt painting was left. I didnt writte again until 2010. 

This was a temporary studio location at my sisters home.  I have to remain portable until I can build my studio. She has since reclaimed this space. 

Title: Culture lost  Over only three generations 

$1400.00

Beaded border design found on Iroquois garments and mocassins. 

 

Sometimes I feel invisible and other times as real as a rock in your face.  I live in Kahnawake which is my home. I’ve been painting since high school (which I graduated in 1975) I won the art price in grade 8. That’s when I was introduced to the art of painting. I did a few canvas boards that delighted my art professor that year. I did clay sculpting ( which I was doing at home since the infant years) which fascinated everyone and who thought the pieces were unique and spontaneous. Little to everyone’s knowledge these small renditions of dinosaurs were developed and styled over many years prior. (what’s so hard about rolling clay)... Well in any case I won the art prize for that year and those little clay reptiles when on display for four years in a glass cabinet. You know, the kind that's embeded in the wall.  I think I remember those creatures being there (crumbled and cob webs took over the case) when I graduated three years later. I was young and full of dreams and fantasies.  My youth took over from my work in art and painting.  After a very eventfull three years I returned to painting.  Yes it was after I was married in search of some solitude and relaxation for myself (you kmow).  My work, to my surprise grabbed some attention.  My career in art was underway. 

I premiered some canvas at a family owned craft store. I was surprised (really) at the positive response I got for my first paintings. Over the years I managed to sell some of my art work here and there.

In 1982 (aprox.) I sent some of my canvases to a juried selection at a national Indian art acquisition in the capital of Ottawa. I was fortunate to have several of my paintings selected and purchased. They were then entered into the  national art collection of Canada. I was on a role now! I had my vernisage in Quebec city and got involved in the creation of logos for national native art events, theater promotions etc. In1984 I founded an association of native artists in Quebec which was financed by the minister of the secretary of state, Canada (a one shot deal). After picking up new members during a tour of the association in Quebec we entered our work into the international fine arts exhibition 1986 in Montreal.  Expo d'art de montreal

This was a first for a group of native artists. Native art wasn't formaly recognized during those days. With the exception of Norval Morriseau who’s work was recognized as “primitive cave art on a canvas” and not really original fine art. This, mind you by the snobbiest of critics available to the international art scene. We eventually persevered but not until years later when a new catagory of art was achieved called "Native Art".

So it happened that our funding was not forth coming the next year because we would not include the craft makers into our association...? If we did we would have two organizations doing the same thing. Public funding went to their association instead. Preferable to the federal government by hitting two birds with one stone.  So I opened a gallery next to the family store and displayed some of our work and had some nice vernisages. That didn’t last long since the space was sold to the stores neighbor to display furniture. I returned the remaining art to their respective owners and stopped painting for a while (a long while). When I needed money I would go and sell a paintnig or two. I also did some painings (to halt the persistant requests) to feed some fans of my work. Other than that my career took a turn in another direction. That story I‘ll leave to another article. It has been quite awhile since then. Eventually my clients went three sheets to the wind. I remmeber one fellow who travelled back from France just for a painting I had displayed in our store. He saw it during a vacation he had in Montreal recently. Said he was haunted by it and had to come back to buy it. Believe me stranger things have happened. 

I returned to painting after I retired from the local public service 2005. My whole life went south and I ended up in a public shelter (of sorts) for 13 months. I was fortunate to have been given a small apartment that I made into my art studio. I stayed there until I ...well; got kicked out .  I did most of what you will see on this site during that period. Once the walls were full of my work (and then some) I sold a few (too cheap) and gave the rest of the collection to my eldest son for safe keeping. (safe from me probably) I took several painting courses during that time at the Visual Arts Centre in Westmount. (the only formal intruction i have) That brings me here now to try and get my work and name back out there. My goal is to build or rent , or what ever a studio of my own. Preferably a live in studio close to my home of Kahnawake. 

 A seemingly impossible task at this point but I’m not giving up.  I just need a quiet place with room to continue my work and of course climate controlled.  After all Painting has always been my passion.  Perhaps viewing one of my paintings would help you understand what the hell I'm talking about or trying to say . lol Im not getting any younger.  And I stay at a friends house with a small corner for me and my computer and....that's all. really. 

 

 

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