Artist Profile: Chad Morin

Reprinted with permission from
Eagle Feather News - February 1999 - pg. 6

Chad is originally from Meadow Lake and is the oldest of six children. His parents, Ernest and Helen, were positive influences on Chad and read him many stories as a youngster. These stories were often about Aboriginal legends and culture and Chad took them to heart. When he had the opportunity to see these stories in picture form or animation, it always upset him because they never seemed to do justice to the way he pictured them being in his mind. This would lead to a big project later in his life.

Coming out of High School, Chad did not intend to be an artist. His passion was playing the guitar and was a big fan of Led Zeppelin and Van Halen. Music stands the test of time, as he says. During this time, Chad held various jobs ranging from a sawmill, which he hated, to setting up car shows and driving exotic cars, which he says was very enjoyable. He also had stints as a model where he posed for the Edmonton Sun as a Sunshine Boy.

From 1992 to 1995, Chad was employed designing tattoos and album covers. This was the first step in discovering his talent. His mother saw his work and told him that it was too dark. He should do more positive work that was not so tacky. In 1995, he met Alvin McKay who had a big artistic influence on him. He liked Alvin's work because it maintained a true essence of Aboriginal culture and showed a quest for achievement. Other artists that inspired him were Frank Frazetta, Boris, Johnny Marcelin and Isaac Bignail. His brother was also an aspiring artist, but tragically, the fingers on his drawing hand were severed in a sawmill accident. This has led Chad to include fists and hands in his pictures to show his respect.

In 1997, Chad decided to commit to being a full-time artist. This led him on a search for a promoter to work for, but he couldn't find one that impressed him. Since he is very self-motivated, he decided to do it himself. He created Eagle Speaker Productions and hasn't looked back since. Besides himself, he represents six other artists at shows around the country.

Chad is also an executive producer for Studio Saskatoon, an animation firm owned by Steve Rabatich and Dave Penny who helped work on the movie Toy Story. It is here that Chad realized the opportunity to create those legends in his visions. They are doing a series of six vignettes based on the legend of Wesakechak. The project took four months and $15,000 to this point and is being picked up by a national television broadcaster. The final bill for the project should be around $300,000. The vignettes are narrated in English and Cree by Gordon Tootoosis. The shorts have been made by Aboriginal people and Chad describes them as funny and educational, but applicable for all races.

Chad's art portrays his culture and inspirations and has a strong spiritual theme. He believes in equality and keeping your spirit and soul clean. This is reflected in his life, as he is drug and alcohol free. He also devotes his time to the community through his involvement in MeTaWeTan program, teaching youth to become more aware and involved in fine arts.

Chad's art has a broad appeal and that is reflected in the various people who have his work in their collections. They include Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Premiere Roy Romanow, Alexa McDonough of the Federal NDP and rockers Gord Downey of the Tragically Hip and the band Collective Soul. He has also donated his art to many charitable events such as the St. Paul's Hospital Foundation, The Lutheran Sunset Home ans the Meadow Lake and District Health Care Association. The progress Chad has made in two years lays a great foundation for a long and prosperous artistic career.