Roy Thomas is an Anishinaabe artist who resided in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Without any formal training, Thomas cited the spirit of Anishinaabe elders and art as his teachers.
In the 1980s, art critics linked him with "the younger generation" of Woodland artists after Norval Morriseau and Daphne Odjig in a period bridged by Carl Ray. His strength lay in his design ability and his bold use of line and color. While his work has been classified as a Woodland style of art of bold colourations framed by black form lines, the focus of his pieces have always stressed content over style. He painted his experiences of the traditional cultural stories told to him by his grandparents. Thomas believed that his grandmother's spirit was present with him while he painted, and honoured her by signing his works with a small crow, the name she had given him.
He had numerous one-man exhibitions and participated in several group shows around the world. His work is represented in major Aboriginal Art Collections across Canada and in the US, Europe and Japan.
 |
"Orange Bird, Big and Little" by Thomas, Roy |
Education
Primarily Self-Taught
Exhibitions
Pollock Gallery (solo shows) 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
The Image Makers, Art Gallery of Ontario, 1984
Thunder Bay Art Gallery (solo shows) 1983, 1989, 1991
Maslak McLeod Gallery, 1994
Royal Ontario Museum, 1996
The Image Makers, Art Gallery of Ontario, 1984
Thunder Bay Art Gallery (solo shows) 1983, 1989, 1991
Maslak McLeod Gallery, 1994
Royal Ontario Museum, 1996
Collections
National Gallery of Canada
Art Gallery of Ontario
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Ottawa
McMichael Canadian Collection, Kleinburg
Other major collections across Canada, the US, Europe and Japan.
Art Gallery of Ontario
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Ottawa
McMichael Canadian Collection, Kleinburg
Other major collections across Canada, the US, Europe and Japan.
Work Cited
http://www.ahnisnabae-art.com/roy-thomas.html
