Woodlands style

Woodlands style, also called the Woodlands school, Legend painting, Medicine painting, and Anishnabe painting, is a genre of painting among First Nations and Native American artists from the Great Lakes area, including northern Ontario and southwestern Manitoba. The majority of the Woodland artists belong to the Anishinaabeg, notably the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi, as well as the Oji-Cree and the Cree.

Origin
The style was founded by Norval Morrisseau (Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabe), a First Nations Ojibwe artist from Northern Ontario, Canada. He learned Ojibwe history and culture primarily from his grandfather Moses "Potan" Nanakonagos and in the 1950s collected oral history of his community. Their history and cosmology has provided inspiration and subject matter for his paintings. His also drew upon his personal dreams, visions, Morrisseau said, "all my painting and drawing is really a continuation of the shaman's scrolls." and the Eckankar religion. Ojibwe intaglio, pictographs, petrographs rock art and birch bark scrolls, Wiigwaasabak, were stylistic antecedents of the Woodland style.

Style
This visionary style emphasizes outlines and X-ray views of people, animals, and plant life. Colours are vivid, even garish. While Morrisseau painted on birch bark initially, the media of Woodland style tends to be Western, such as acrylic, gouache, or watercolor paints on paper, wood panels, or canvas.

Woodland style artists

 * Ahmoo Angeconeb (Lac Seul First Nation, 1955–2017)
 * Jackson Beardy (Anishinini, 1944–1984)
 * Benjamin Chee Chee (Eabametoong Ojibwe, 1944–1977)
 * Shirley Cheechoo (Cree, b. 1952)
 * Kelly Church (Gun Lake Potawatomi/Odawa/Ojibwe, b. 1967)
 * Eddy Cobiness (Buffalo Point Ojibwa, 1933–1996)
 * Blake Debassige (M'Chigeeng Ojibwe, b. 1956)
 * Tom Hogan, (Ojibwe, 1955–2014)
 * Abe Kakepetum (Sandy Lake Oji-Cree)
 * Norval Morrisseau (ᒥᐢᒁᐱᐦᐠ ᐊᓂᒥᐦᑮ/ Miskwaabik Animikii) (Bingwi Neyaashi Ojibwe, ca. 1932–2007)
 * Daphne Odjig (Odawa/Potawatomi, 1919–2016)
 * Carl Ray (Sandy Lake Cree, 1943–1978)
 * Roy Thomas (Long Lake Ojibway, 1949–2004)
 * Jackie Traverse (Lake St. Martin Ojibway, b. 1968)