Witness – Print

Description

‘Witness’ by Francis Dick – First Nations Northwest Coast Kwakwaka’wakw Art presented by DaVic Gallery of Native Canadian Arts.

Condition:          No condition, noted.

Description by Artist:    ‘Witness’ – “I have done five paintings of Andrea. This is the third I painted, and (….) we decided that ‘Witness’ would be a suitable title for this piece, for over the years (….) she has witnessed my life journey through my work. (….) I find her to be an exceptional woman, devastatingly beautiful, brilliant, with a great sense of humor and a style that is uniquely hers. ”  – Francis Dick

One day, I received an email from Andrea Walsh, now a Visual Anthropologist at the University of Victoria. I had not seen her since my retrospective exhibition at the Maltwood Gallery in 2000, for which she had written an essay on my work. We agreed to meet the following week: October 17, 2009. It was wonderful to reconnect. Of course, so much had changed since we last saw each other. Little did I know my life would shift because of that meeting. We continued to meet on a regular basis. I shared with her my many years of being lost; a modern day Hamatsa* (a story I would like to tell one day through my creative process).
One day, I felt compelled to create a painting that represented Andrea. “She Wears Red Lipstick” was born – my first abstract painting. I was then inspired to create a second painting, “Haut Red”, and yet another, a triptych sold to Arctic Raven Gallery in Friday Harbour (brave soul!). “Witness” was next. I spent a year painting Andrea. She continues to inspire me when I have a need to paint her, or what inspires her.

Notes from DaVic Gallery:   This is a print from the original painting of the same title, “Witness” and was published in 2011.