A celebration of the life and work of one of Alberta’s most exciting working Indigenous artists.
Ancestral Portraits is a retrospective of the art and life of Frederick R. McDonald, one of Alberta’s most exciting Indigenous artists working today, and a celebration of a rich Cree heritage. With one foot in the world of his ancestral peoples and the other in the realm of contemporary Canadian society, McDonald paints from a unique perspective and uses his art to communicate the culture and spirituality of his ancestors.
Ancestral Portraits is a journey into the creative world and distinct mind of one of Canada’s most exciting Indigenous artists.
About the Author:
Frederick R. McDonald is a Woodland Cree painter born in Fort McMurray, Alberta. In his early years, he lived along the Athabasca River following the traditional ways of his ancestors. He worked in the oil industry and achieved an MFA from the University of Calgary. His work is concerned with the written and visual history of his people in Canada.
Preface
Acknowledgements
In the Beginning
In the beginning, there are only thoughts
Thoughts on First Nations Art, Some on Politics
Influences 1: My Grandfather, My Brother, and a River
Influinces 2: High School and Beyond
On the Art of Travelling
Worldly Encounters 1: Canada
Worldly Encounters 2: Australia
Segregations⁄Reservations On Personal Promises
Indians First …
.. Then Commerce
Of Colour and Light
In the End, A Beginning
In the Other World Ancestors Still Talk
Other Thoughts on Other Things
Way Up North
Vivid . . . [McDonald’s] voice and brush are worth heeding.
—Francis W. Kaye, University of Toronto Quarterly
Fred’s work captures the essence of the brush economy in the homelands of the Fort McKay people in northeastern Alberta. He paints with a chromatic true vision that cuts to the bone. The narrative spine of his work is like the Athabasca River, rich in content, fast flowing and never ending.
