2014 Career Fair Art
Grant Spotted Bull
"Grandfathers"
The Grandfathers painting was an assignment I completed for Painting II. I wanted to create a scene within a scene, a different view of place all contained inside a teepee. I started the base with Chief Mountain, or Niná stako the Old Man as we call it in the Blackfoot language. Building around that base, I also included other aspects of my culture that are familiar to me as a First Nations person. Such as the teepee, the Sundance, and the land of my people. The concept of the teepee symbolizes how the world appears to me. The poles lean on each other for support, while the canvas covering provides safety and security. The lines at the top represent poles, and the bright colour between the poles represents the canvas.
I painted the two people from a photograph in their traditional setting. I wanted to paint them to look like an old photograph. The lack of detail conveys history, or more importantly ancestry, which is important in my life. The placement of the men on the front of Chief Mountain inside of a teepee is very significant because of the reverence we hold for Chief Mountain. I have great respect for my ancestors who have passed on. The people in this painting represent my ancestors, especially my grandfathers.