Northern Artists

A set of 50 photographs featuring five Aboriginal artists in the 1970s and 80s, taken in La Ronge and Uranium City. James Ratt, John Halkett, and Myles Charles are all from the La Ronge area, while Sonny MacDonald was living in Uranium City and Lloyd Pinay, originally from the Peepeekis Reserve, was working at his sculpture in La Ronge. James Ratt: -p01: James Ratt in La Ronge in the 1970s: his art shows a deep knowledge of the northern environment and life on the trapline. -p02: 'Leaping Deer': a whitetail deer sails over a fallen tree with autumn mists in the background. -p03: A detail of a painting of a trapline scene. -p04: 'Night Trip': travelling in winter with a dogteam. -p05: 'Going Home': a trapper on snowshoes nears the end of his journey. -p06: A bear rears up after being shot with an arrow. -p07: 'Northern Lights over Rapids': the northern lights blaze over a tumbling rapids. -p08: 'Winter Night': the moon is reflected in water kept open by the current. -p09: A river with birch and spruce along its banks. -p10: A wary wolf travelling in the moonlight. John Halkett: -p11: John Halkett in La Ronge in the 1970s: he has painted in many styles, from realistic landscapes to abstract paintings of Cree spiritual themes. -p12: 'Camp': a trapline home beside a stream in the forest. -p13: 'Spring Trapping' incorporates trapline life and Cree spirituality. -p14: A detail from 'Spring Trapping' shows a woman drying meat in the smoke of a fire. -p15: 'Evening Tea': a trapper boils the kettle at the end of the day. -p16: Fishermen lifting their net in the choppy waters of a northern lake. -p17: A whitetail deer in winter. -p18: 'White Moose' depicts an albino moose accompanied by a cow moose. -p19: 'Rapids' shows a boulder-lined river with fall colours along its shores. -p20: 'Autumn Landscape': a trapper's cabin on a point beside a lake. Myles Charles: -p21: Myles Charles in La Ronge in the 1970s: he has painted the northern landscape in all its phases. -p22: A winter view of a landscape burned by a forest fire. -p23: A detail of a drawing of a fire-burned landscape with a distant frozen lake seen through the lattice of blackened trees. -p24: 'Bull Moose': a mighty bull moose stands beside a mist-laden river. -p25: 'English Bay': a delicate tracery of trees beside Lac La Ronge. -p26: 'The Lesson': two men view the autumn colours of the northern landscape. -p27: A rainbow forms in the spray from a falls in this detail from a larger painting. -p28: Gulls fly over the river in this detail from a larger painting. -p29: An enigmatic image of a woman's face is shown in relation to two views of the northern landscape depicting day and night. -p30: Wild rice being harvested by canoe in the traditional way. Sonny MacDonald: -p31: Sonny MacDonald, a well-known northern carver, in the 1970s. -p32: Sonny's workshop in Uranium City. -p33: Sonny specializes in carvings of animals and birds such as the loon. -p34: 'Loon and Young': a pair of loons with a baby loon riding on its parent's back. -p35: A lake trout carved by Sonny. -p36: An eagle's head. -p37: A carving incorporating two birds mounted on a driftwood base. -p38: Sonny created this magnificent trophy for the 1980 Northern Saskatchewan Summer Games. -p39: A lake trout featured in the summer games trophy. -p40: The summer games plaque incorporates the base of a tree and a bone hide-scraper. Lloyd Pinay: -p41: Lloyd Pinay in La Ronge in the 1970s: a prolific carver of animals and birds. -p42: Part of a pipe carved in catlinite pipestone with an eagle with outstretched wings. -p43: Close-up of a bear's head carved in pipestone. -p44: A marten carved in catlinite pipestone. -p45: A sculpture carved in Wapawekka Lake pipestone illustrating a story about a great trout. -p46: 'The Watchers': Lloyd's work often portrays the interdependence of man and wildlife, and here the watchers include a person and two owls. -p47: This carving of two swans and a human figure depicts the interaction between humans and the animals and birds around them. -p48: A pipe decorated with a carving of a buffalo. -p49: A carving of a loon, a favourite motif of artists in northern Saskatchewan. -p50: 'Snake Pipe': snakes twist around the bowl of a pipe and the stem is also carved in the form of a snake.

Historical note:

Photographs of artists and craftspeople taken in La Ronge and Uranium City during 1979-1984 by Lois Dalby of the Academic Education Branch and by staff of the Extension Services Branch of the Department of Northern Saskatchewan.