AVI10
Mrs. Barbier
Eastern Woodland Painting Project Outline
Unit Objectives:
● Look at Norval Morrisseau’s paintings & his use of the
elements & principles of design
● Have some understanding of First Nations symbolism
● Begin learning to paint with acrylic paints
● Create a painting using the Eastern Woodland style
● Understand the use and care of all related materials and how
to properly clean up
● Use the creative process to develop your own design &
painting using YOUR experiences of animals and nature in Canada
● Reflect on the entire process and your finished painting
1) Brainstorming in your sketchbook
Look at all of the resources available for you - the symbolism sheets and
the animal images. With them and the following guiding questions,
begin to develop an idea for your painting.
a) What is a special or memorable experience you have had with nature and/
or wildlife in Canada?
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b) Is there a story or legend or belief you have about a particular
animal or some aspect of nature from your culture?
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c) Do you love a particular Canadian animal or feel a special connection to an
animal? Think about why and what it means to you.
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d) Do you think a certain animal resembles aspects of your character or
personality? Are you a “pack animal” like a wolf? Do you “go
against the flow” like a salmon?
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e) Do you have a spiritual connection to a particular animal or one from your
culture?
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AVI10
Mrs. Barbier
2) Research your animals and make sketches
Spend time researching the animals you have chosen to paint. Look
for photographs of your animals in positions and taken from angles that
are suitable to your design. Sketch from the screen into your
sketchbook. Don't make the drawings too small - fill the page and use
as many pages as you can.
Accuracy matters: Proportion, shape, details...
Make your drawings as accurate as you can - remember contour
drawing techniques to tap into your right-brain to increase your
observation and decrease your generalisations so your sketches
become more life-like. Record the site where you found the picture so
you can go back and look at it if you need to and/or send it to your
email account.
Sites: Type in canadian wildlife animals photographs, click images. Also try
native canadian species,
travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/canada/animals-photos and by typing in
the animal by name.
3) Choosing the best design
Choose the design that you like best. Go through the magazines in the
classroom to find colours for your painting. Cut out a piece of the
colour and glue it onto your picture. You will try to recreate that colour
later.
4) Starting your painting
Draw your design onto your good copy using the non-photo blue pencil.
Be sure to include a minimum of four (4) different characteristics
employed by Norval Morrisseau (i.e. communication line, divided circle,
flat colour, large eyes, x-ray, etc.).
5) Painting
Begin to paint your good copy. You can only use the primary colours
plus black and white. This means you will need to mix your colours.
5) Reflection
Once you have finished the painting you are going to complete the
Reflection page.
AVI10
Mrs. Barbier
Eastern Woodland Art Symbolism
The Meaning of the Symbols
When Norval Morrisseau first
began painting, his intention
was to re-introduce the
Anishnaabe world view into
the contemporary
consciousness. The Ojibwa
culture had been all but
obliterated by the imposition
of external governance and
the influence of Christian
churches.
Using primary colours
straight out of the tubes,
Morrisseau painted the spiritual reality that had been the foundation of
Ojibwa life for thousands of years. Raised by his shaman grandfather, Norval
was familiar with the symbols used on the Midewiwin birch bark scrolls. He
knew the legends and he was intimately familiar with the ochre images that
were everywhere on the rock faces that bordered the waterways surrounding
his home.
Woodland art symbolism permeated his early paintings. The following may
help you understand why he incorporated certain things into his imagery.

Lines of Power
Woodland art often shows lines of power radiating
from the heads and bodies of both animals and
people. The lines are usually short but the
variations in length and intensity indicate the
quality of power. The lines can both transmit and
receive information.

Lines of Communication
Woodland artists often portray animals and people
joined with flowing lines which indicate
relationships which reflect the artist's
understanding of the nature of the
interdependence between the two beings. This is a
recent painting by Goyce Kakegamic depicting the
legend of Red Lake.
AVI10

Mrs. Barbier
Lines of Prophecy
Some powerful creatures may have narrow ivy-like
lines spewing from their mouths which indicate more
than simple speech - they indicate prophecy,
particularly in association with shaman imagery.
A good example is this painting by Norval Morrisseau
showing a shaman making direct communication
with the universal life force.

Lines of Movement
Very short lines, clustered near an organ like a
heart as in this example, indicate movement and
an active attempt at communication with the
viewer. The lines are particularly significant
surrounding shaking tent imagery.

The Divided Circle
A circle divided in half, connected with the main
image by lines of communication is an especially
meaningful symbol used by woodland artists. The
divided circle represents dualities present in the
world - good and evil, day and night, sky and
earth, honest and dishonest, function and dysfunction for example.

X-Ray Decoration
The term would have been meaningless to
prehistoric woodland artists, but nowadays the
concept of an x-ray view aptly describes the way
woodland artists depict inner structures of people
and animals. They are representations of inner
spiritual life.

Colour
In prehistoric times the only significant colour
used was red ochre as in this ancient image of
mishpashu (a water spirit) on a cliff overlooking
Lake Superior. In 1937 the image had been
covered over with dark green oil based house
paint by the twelve year old daughter of the local Indian agent. More
than seventy years later the green paint has been destroyed by the
elements but the original ochre illustration still stands proud.
AVI10
Mrs. Barbier
Student Reflection – Analyzing Your Learning
Name: ______________________
Project: Eastern Woodland Painting
Reviewing and analyzing your work is an important part of the creative process. Review
can also help you set goals for improving your work in the future.
Take a few minutes now to reflect upon this project. Fill in the table below by circling
the level that best reflects your performance. Then answer the questions in Section II
and Section III.
Section I
Very weak
R
1
2
Outstanding
3
4
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
My effort
My willingness to
R
follow the creative process
My ability to solve problems by
R
myself
My creativity
R
My learning and skill
R
development
My finished product
R
My participation in
R
clean up
Section II: Think About Your Process
1. What is your favourite part of the painting?
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2. What was the most challenging part of this project? Why was this
particular part difficult?
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3. How did you deal with this challenge?
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4. If you could start this project again, what are two things would you do differently?
Briefly explain why.
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AVI10
Mrs. Barbier
Section III: Analyze Your Artwork
1. What are the three (3) most important elements of design (line,
colour, shape/form, texture, value and space) used in your artwork? Briefly
explain why each is so important in your design.
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2. What are the two (2) most important principles of design (emphasis,
movement, rhythm, pattern, balance, proportion, contrast and unity)
used in your artwork?
Describe how the elements are used to create each principle. Then, briefly describe
what that principle does or how it works in your composition.
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Section IV: Interpreting Your Artwork
3. What animal(s) did you use in your painting? Explain what the animal
represents and how it ties in to your life/personality.
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4. List the different characteristics you employed to create your Eastern Woodland
Painting. Where have you employed each of the techniques and why did you
choose to incorporate the techniques in those specific areas?
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AVI10
Mrs. Barbier
Deconstructing A Painting By Norval Morrisseau
Elements
 Complementary colours -blue and orange (also red & green, but less)
 No values, flat colour
 Thick black contour lines; some details shown with thinner red lines
 Shapes: geometric and organic
 No texture
 Space: suggestion of sea and sky, but the bird is still floating in the
space
Principles of Design
 Balance: symmetrical
 Emphasis: on the yellow eye
 Rhythm: feather-shapes of the wings
 Movement: created by the communication lines and the rhythm of the
wings
 Contrast: Black vs. colour, Complementary colours, Organic vs.
geometric, Light vs. dark, Thin vs. thick
 Pattern: designs on the wings, divided circles
 Unity: repetition of blue colours, the red lines, and the black lines; the
symmetry; the same painting style; the black frame around the
painting
Symbols
 Eye = the shaman
 Divided circles = sea vs. sky
duality
 Lines of communication =
everything is connected
 Line of power from the bird’s head
= bird is more powerful in air than
in the water (?)
 X-ray view of bird = ?