Chief Whitecap ~ acrylic on birch panel / 45 x 35 / 2023 / Whitecap Dakota Government Collection
Chief Whitecap (1819 to 1889) is one of the two founders of the City of Saskatoon. His portrait was commissioned by the Whitecap Dakota Government and composed from a careful study of his features and clothing in three black-and-white photographs from the 1800‘s. Chief Bear and Council, and Dakota Elders, met with Cheryl guiding the portrait with their advice. Chief Whitecap dons the King George medal offered to the Dakota during the War of 1812, honoring the Dakota’s role and alliance in laying the foundation for Canada….continue…
Chief Whitecap / detail
Chief Whitecap dons the King George medal offered to the Dakota during the War of 1812, honoring the Dakota’s role and alliance in laying the foundation for Canada.
Chief Whitecap / detail
Incidentally, just as the portrait was being finished, after 138 years, Chief Whitecap’s pipe was rightfully returned to Whitecap Dakota First Nation by the Royal Canadian Military Institute. This incredibly significant and personal possession was also returned to its owner’s hands within the painting.
Pearleen & Angeleah ~ Acrylic on Birch panel / 37 x 27 / Park Derochie Collection
Kokum and nosism. Grandmother and granddaughter. Pearleen Kanewapasikot is a tireless educator, Cree Language teacher, and keeper of cultural traditions. This was painted when Pearleen was the principal of Elsie Fabian School, Fort Mckay, Alberta. Originally from Little Pine First Nation Saskatchewan, her maternal lineage is the Tootoosis family…continue…
Gordon Tootoosis ~ acrylic on wood / 2015 / Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre, Saskatoon, SK
Gordons Tootoosis (1941-2011) portrait was guided by Curtis Peeteetuce, artistic director of Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company, and Irene Tootoosis (the late Gordon Tootoosis’s wife). Cheryl created a one-of-a-kind image by learning about Gordon’s… continue…
