Weekly We Make: Drawn from Memory

Allen Sapp was known for painting very detailed pictures of his memories. He did this without looking at photographs, just by looking at the pictures in his own mind. 

Curator Timothy Long describes this particular painting: 

« In The Pow-wow, a large acrylic painting from 1987, Sapp depicts an entire community gathered in a ring beneath a leafy pow-wow arbour. To the right is a circle of drummers, their drumsticks raised, the reverberations of the last beat still hanging in the air. A line of dancers in full regalia enters the arbour to the sound of their drumming and singing. »

Allen’s paintings are an important record of Indigenous life. Many of the memories he paints are from his childhood. He shows the beauty in everyday Indigenous ways.  

When Allen was young, Indigenous celebrations and ceremonies were often illegal or very controlled by Canada’s government. Throughout his life, many Indigenous people fought to have their ceremonies back and to keep their traditional ways of life. 

About the Artist 

Nêhiyaw (Cree) artist Allen Sapp was born in 1928 on the Red Pheasant First Nation. He was the grand-nephew of Chief Poundmaker. 

When his mother was sick with tuberculosis, and after she passed away, Allen Sapp was raised by his grandmother and grandfather, Maggie and Albert Soonias. His father was often away on hunting trips to provide for his family. Allen also was sent to a residential school for three years at Onion Lake First Nation. However, when he was 12, his grandfather pulled him out of school to help on the family farm. Meanwhile, his grandmother encouraged him to draw and paint. 

To learn more about Allen Sapp, you might want to read the book The Song Within My Heart by David Bouchard. This book is about Allen’s childhood and is illustrated by Allen himself. 

Allen Sapp passed away on December 29th, 2015.  

Inspired by Allen Sapp’s artworks, try to paint a detailed picture from one of your favourite memories. Try to do this entirely from memory without looking at any photographs! 

STEP 1

Pick a memory that you are very fond of. Close your eyes, and try to picture a moment from that memory. Can you see: 

• Where did the memory happen? 
• Who was there with you? 
• Which objects or things were around you? 
• What were you doing? 
• Where were you seeing this memory from? (Or what was your perspective/point-of-view?) 

STEP 2

Inspired by the way Allen Sapp paints, try diving right into painting your memory without sketching out the picture first. You might have trouble getting the exact details of the memory correct, but that’s ok. If you paint the most important or vivid parts of your memory, it will still help preserve it. 

STEP 3

After you paint . . .  If you have a photo that was taken at the time of your memory, try comparing it with your painting. What is different? What is the same? What did you make more important in your artwork, and why do you think that was?