Sandhill Crane
35 x 17.5 x 1 in (88.9 x 44.5 x 2.5 cm) including frame
As a resident of Kenora and later Winnipeg, Dr. Jerry Litman (1928 - 2020) brought a genuine excitement to collecting works of Indigenous art that reflected the communities in which he worked. Dr. Litman practiced as a dentist in remote areas of Ontario and Manitoba where there was limited access to dental services, and worked with Indigenous communities in these areas.
It was through this work that Litman encountered many remarkable artists, including Josh Kakegamic and Norval Morrisseau. With an eye for quality and a love for this flourishing art movement, Dr. Litman collected over 250 paintings by First Nations and Inuit artists.
Much of the Litman collection has been dispersed among museums and university collections close to the family's heart, notably the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and "The Muse" - Douglas Family Art Centre in Kenora.
Garnet Tobacco
Garnet Tobacco is a Cree artist born February 6, 1964, in Moose Lake, Manitoba. The buffalo is his family crest symbol. He apprenticed under artist Isaac Bignell, whose style greatly influenced his own work. Tobacco has been painting for over twenty years and occasionally sculpts in soapstone and wood.
Tobacco's work is characterized by fluid lines, soft earthy tones, and simple stylized backgrounds. He creates his paintings using sponges—the small ones on stick handles used for edging in house painting—to build up colour, then extends the imagery with narrow brushes in sweeping lines. His subjects include animals of the plains region such as bison, herons, eagles, and hawks, as well as marine life including salmon, whales, and turtles, and other animals like butterflies, hummingbirds, and loons.
Tobacco produces original paintings, limited edition prints, and carvings. His work has been displayed at the Art Expo in Calgary and is held in private collections in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, the United States, and Canada. He has said that preserving Bignell's style keeps his late mentor's identity alive for others to understand and appreciate.
