Mask Making on the Range!

Aanii, Boozhoo and Hello there!  So here is another mask from another mask making session held right here on the open range, yesterday.  Yes indeed, a grand and glorious place for some art making!  But like I said mid week, we do art making workshops anywhere, anytime, just email me, tell me where you are, and I will come to You!

Mask making with Mark!

Mask Making in Sheshegwaning!

Aanii!  And hello there!  Check out this mask that was made yesterday at the Sheshegwaning Health Centre as part of the March Break activities!  Good times and a lot of very exciting and interesting looking art work came out of that one!  Here is an example!  If you want to book a session, just email me, we’re good to go anytime to anywhere!

Mask making with Mark!

ah well…

My sweet little Jazzy Moon had a homework thing from school that she needed help with and of course I was more than willing to give assist.  At the top of the page were the lines:  Canada is a multicultural country.  Many different cultures have contributed to Canada to make it what it is today.  What are some of the contributions from your family’s culture?

Next, the lines:  Culture/Country of Ancestral origin.  So I wrote in:  Ojibwe/Ojibway, La Cloche Mountain Range, Nomadic, Spanish River system and the North Channel of Lake Huron.

Then the lines:  Interesting family history details we know:  And I wrote in:  Ojibwe/Ojibway family was decimated by government policy towards “Indians and land reserved for Indians”.  As a result , the history, culture and family make up of Grandpa’s family, including extended family, was completely destroyed.

I tucked that into the homework bag and sent her on her way, back to Grade 6.  Then I got to thinking, jeez…  Maybe I should have written up something a little more rosy, something about canoes, scone dogs, rattles or pow wow dance moves but the truth is I have no idea what happened to them.  All I know is my name was changed, I was raised away and never even made it to their funerals and until recently had no idea where they were buried.

And so!!!  I started up a few little paintings and while waiting for paint to dry cracked open Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and read:  Letting go all else, cling to the following truths.  Remember that man lives only in the present, in this fleeting instant-all the rest of his life is either past and gone, or not yet revealed.  This mortal life is a little thing, lived in a little corner of the earth; and little, too, is the longest fame to come-dependent as it is on a succession of fast perishing little men who have no knowledge even of their own selves, much less of one long dead and gone.

Well there once was a man named Jack Seabrook and he saved me.  A fella like me tries to live up to a man like that but it isn’t easy by any stretch as he was a great man.

Interesting family history details we know…

Sweet x 2 March First: Is spring in the air?

Truth is Winter is fully and completely on the open range!  There is no sign of spring!  Out here we have those brutal west and northwest winds blasting across the fields and it seems like they’ve been blasting since New Year’s Day.  Thank the almighty we are a long way from that time.  But we’re not out of the woods (ha ha!) with this thing.  We have some minus 30 climes in the forecast and you know what?  There is nothing you can do about it but stoke that blaze and keep something good and hot going in the kitchen.  

Here is a photo of the wild and crazy, it was taken way back in January but its no different today except to say we have way more snow than 35 days ago.  

(Psst!  Bring on some spring climes!)

Blizzard action