Roy Thomas
| Roy Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949 |
| Died | 2004-11-13 |
| Occupation | Painter |
| Partner | |
Roy Thomas (1949 – 13 November 2004) was an Anishinaabe painter of the Woodland School, based in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He was one of the most influential 20th-century Anishinaabe painters in Canada and was known for colourful paintings of totemic animals.[1][2][3]
Life and work
Like Norval Morrisseau, Thomas became well known when Indigenous art gained mainstream popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s. His family moved to the Long Lake 58 reserve in northern Ontario in the late 1950s, and like many First Nations youth of his generation he was forced to attend a religious residential school.[2]
He was self-taught, guided by his grandmother's stories of Anishinaabe culture and inspired by the ancient pictographs of Northwestern Ontario. His work depicts traditional teachings and his interpretation of the Life Spirits of air, land, water and fire. Besides original paintings he produced silkscreen and reproduction prints, art cards and etchings on glass, and he published a biography, The Spirit of Ahnisnabae Art.[1]
Ahnisnabae Art Gallery
In 1997 Thomas founded Ahnisnabae Art to show his work and promote Ahnisnabae culture. Since his death the gallery has been owned and run by his wife, Louise Thomas.[1]
Newspaper record
- Photo notice in The Chronicle-Journal, 1990-03-30.[4]
- Index note: Teaching art in classroom.
- Biographical notice in The Chronicle-Journal, 1991-07-09.[5]
- Index note: I.D.'d as Fred Saggashi in photo.
- Biographical notice in The Chronicle-Journal, 1991-07-16.[6]
- Index note: I.D.'d as Fred Saggashi in photo.
- Photo notice in The Chronicle-Journal, 1993-07-18.[7]
- Index note: Art in the park.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 About Us. Ahnisnabae Art Gallery (archived 2024). Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Roy Thomas (artist). Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 16 November 2004, p. 13(B)
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 30 March 1990, p. 5
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 9 July 1991, p. 13
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 16 July 1991, p. 15
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 18 July 1993, p. 2(A)