"A Great Spirit"
The Sleeping Giant of Thunder Bay Returns - 2008 6 panel 5ft x 17ft acrylic and copper leaf on canvass -- A mural that tells the tale of the Legend of Copper Thunderbird
This six panel, 5 ft x 17 ft acrylic & copper on canvass painting was envisioned in the winter of 2008 and finished at 4 a.m. on the morning of September 6, 2008; the opening day of the "Spirit" art exhibition.
This painting came about as a visual (or visionary) response to complex feelings about events related to Morrisseau's translation (or death).
The greater vision of the Grand Shaman transported in a majestic canoe with all he would need for the afterlife was my original "inspiration". There were to be delightful creatures and soft meadows in the foreground with all manner of creatures watching him pass by.
There was also the lesser vision that was useful for "impetus". That of the forces in darkness transforming into hungry sharks and devious demons disguised as associates and relatives along with the curious multitudes. And in this vision lay my comrade frozen on a slab of coldness, waiting for the pyre to light.
An "impetus" and "inspiration" fueled this piece however I wasn't constrained by the raw vision. Refining the vision over the course of completing a painting is one of the great pleasures of trusting yourself to the creative process.
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