First Name: Roy

Last Name: Thomas

Full Name: Roy Thomas

Alternative Names: Gahgahgeh

Date of birth: 1949

Place of birth: Longlac Reserve at Pacquashun (Moving Waters) near Caramat, Ontario, Canada

Date of death: November 13, 2004

Place of death: Thunder Bay, Canada

Community / Heritage: Anishnaabe

Sex: Male

Art Media: Silkscreen, acrylic, tempera on paper, screen print, etchings on glass.

Bio:

Roy Thomas was a self-taught Anishnaabe artist born in 1949 at Longlac Reserve near Caramat, Ontario, Canada. He was raised by his grandparents, who encouraged him to express himself through art. While listening to his grandmother’s stories, he would draw what he heard with a stick, using sand or snow as his canvas. As he grew older, he replaced the stick with pencil and brush. 

Thomas was given the name “Gahgahgeh”, which means crow. The artist explains:

“I really like birds. When I was young and lived with my grandparents, I found a little crow with a broken wing. It was very weak so I fed it from my meal and I fixed its wing. I saw it for a period of 3 or 4 years. It used to come to me and then go away for a long time. Now I use a little drawing of a crow as a logo after my signature on paintings.” 

Thomas devoted himself to learning the history and teachings of his people, and to promoting Anishnaabe culture. His style was largely influenced by Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig and Carl Ray. Thomas’ work is known for bold lines and colours, depicting totemic animals, Ojibwe traditions and legends, and belongs to the Woodland School of Art. He is largely self-taught, explaining that “I paint to illustrate our stories the best way I can. I do this to teach the old ways so they will not be forgotten. All stories I paint are peaceful, not of people doing bad things to one another. I like everything I paint, I have no favourites.” 

Thomas had numerous solo and group exhibitions around the world. His work is part of major Indigenous art collections across Canada, the United States, Europe and Japan. He continued to work until his death in 2004.

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions:

• 2010: Arushi Arts, New Delhi, India. “Unexpected Relation”.
• 2012: McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. “Vision Circle: The Art Of Roy Thomas - A Retrospective".

Group Exhibitions:

• 2008: Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. “Wild Things”.
• 2008: Arushi Arts, New Delhi, India. “Beyond Boundaries”.
• 2012: Gallery Gevik, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “Canadian Aboriginal Art: a look through the generations”.
• 2014: Gallery Gevik, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “Canadian Aboriginal Art: a look through the generations”.
• 2016: MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. “Across the Turtle’s Back: The Kampelmacher Memorial Collection of Indigenous Art”

Collections

• The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario
• Esso Resources, Edmonton, Alberta
• Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada
• McMichael Canadian Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
• The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario
• The National Museum of Man, Ottawa, Ontario
• Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario
• Inuit Gallery, Mannheim, Germany
• The National Gallery of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan

Articles

• https://museum.mcmaster.ca/about/news/vision-circle-the-art-of-roy-thomas/
• https://www.gallerieswest.ca/magazine/historical-art/back-room-roy-thomas-1949-2004/
• http://tbrhsc.net/indigenous-art-helps-enhance-hospitals-welcoming-environment/
• https://www.lakesuperior.com/travel/ontario/343-roythomas/
• https://www.northernontario.travel/thunder-bay/ahnisnabae-art-gallery-showcases-aboriginal-art