Boozhoo,
my Ojibway name is Waabi-bizhikiiwe and my English name is Patricia
Margaret Ningewance. I was born and raised in Lac Seul in Northern
Ontario. Although, I have been living in Winnipeg for 12 years. I
have been working in promoting the Ojibway language all my life.
My
art has been mostly for me. "It is in art that we learn to survive.
In art we find spirit which sustains us when we feel that we are merely
doing our job, and it is in art we find out way home."
My
main source for inspiration has been from traditional Ojibway mitts
and ceremonial bags. Later I moved onto outdoor scenery and portraits
as a subject matter. I enjoy the latter because it's a change to explore
my feelings and thoughts about the subject at leisure.
I
have incorporated my artistic abilities into my work in the form of
illustrations, backdrop paintings for television shows, scriptwriting,
and through the Ojibway language. A more practical reason for merging
art and language is to make it more beautiful for our children who
don't see it that way. It is what we teach our children that we as
a people will survive. Meegwetch.
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Young
Woman (1991)
This
wallhanging is 15" x 23". The technique is mostly mola; that
is, layers of fabric are basted together, cut, folded over and
then sewn so that a pattern emerges. Beadwork and embroidery
adorns this young aboriginal woman's face. The mood is literally
blue. I think I must have been mourning the passing of my own
youth when I did this.
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Incan
Sunset (1996)
Approximately
14" x 22" this hanging is made from sashes woven from wool and
then sewn together to form the body of this work. Embroidery
applique work and beadwork provide the suggestion of the Andean
terrain. I spent three weeks in Peru in 1991 and brought back
these sashes and these memories. I see this piece as a kind
of collaborative work with the Quenchua women who wove these
sashes to earn a living.
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The
Horned Snake (1995)
This
is actually a detail from a larger wallhanging that measures
4" x 8". It is applique with buttons, beadwork, embroidery and
ribbon work. The other half of the wallhanging depicts its eternal
enemy, the Thunder Bird. This is a motif from an Ojibwe legend
told by my Mother which goes like this:
"
A boy is abandoned by his father on a small island. The Horned
Snake emerges from the lake waters and offers his safe passage
to the mainland. Just before they reach the mainland, a thunderstorm
besets them and the Horned Snake is struck and killed by a Thunder
Bird, but not without sending the boy off to safety. This is
a favorite story of mine because of the Christian story about
Adam and Eve and the Serpent. I like to think of the Serpent
as a symbol of healing.
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