"A power created life so that it seeks knowledge, understanding and peace. My art explores the trinity of the human condition. I work from myth because it speaks truth. I employ motif because it contains spiritual power. I paint vibrantly because it heals. I offer my art with respect
and gratitude to the Great Spirit."
– David Morrisseau
David Morrisseau was born in 1961 near Red Lake, Ontario to Norval Morrisseau and Harriet Kakegamic. Raised by his Cree grandparents David and Patricia Kakegamic, David grew up speaking fluent Cree and Ojibway. He was inspired by his father’s work, and it was his grandfather who gave him his first brush and paint set when he was 12 years old. His uncle Joshim Kagegamic, also a talented painter, taught him about highlights and encouraged him to work in bright colours.
The themes of David's paintings encompass his Cree and Anishnaabe heritage, Canadian wildlife, self -portraits in various guises, and more recently, his personal family history. Using natural talent and a strong spiritual focus, David has carved out his own artistic path. He has developed his own style by following personal dreams and philosophy.
Today, David likes to work in pure hues, what he calls “the masculine primaries red, yellow and blue juxtaposed with the feminine secondaries, violet green and orange straight out of the tube.”
It is easy to tell the gender of an animal, person or shaman in his paintings, by his use of colour. The relationship between humans and animals is far more complex, as is the science of numbers, geometric patterns and the myths used to pay homage to the Creator and Mother Earth. And if you look hard, you may find a little chickadee, a member of David’s own spiritual bird clan.
David has had many exhibits across the country, with several of his paintings selling in auctions in Toronto and Montreal.
KAIROS is grateful to David for giving us permission to share “Crane Medicine Woman” with people participating in KAIROS’ 2010-11 campaign in support of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In the painting, the crane represents leadership; the fish, intelligence and mind; the bear represents medicine, and the birds are teachers who share ceremonial knowledge with the next generation. Green represents the land and the physical plane. The spirals and squiggles beneath the ground symbolize spiritual entities because “plants and rocks have a certain state of consciousness.” Blue represents the mind and universality. The totality of the painting is a celebration of activity and life.
We feel this artistic vision reflects the aspirations and hope Indigenous people from across Mother Earth have together written into the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples. Through David’s painting we also celebrate the strength of Indigenous women of courage as they stand up against the often-violent impacts of colonization and dare to proclaim a new and just relationship between all peoples and the planet.
