Roy Morris’ art-on-a-canoe to be raffled

Muskrat Dam’s Roy Morris has both the brush stroke and J-stroke down pat.
Morris is painting images depicting the traditional uses of the canoe on a 12-foot canoe for the Thunder Bay Art Gallery Art on the Water raffle.
In addition to the images of two water animals, the beaver and the muskrat, Morris has also painted an image of the loon on the canoe, which was donated by Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Bruce Hyer and Margaret Wanlin, operators of Wildwaters Kayaks & Canoes.
“The loon was hunted for two purposes,” Morris said. “One was for food and one was for entertainment – the two were mixed together.”
Morris said people in his community used to gather on the shorelines in the evening when the lake had calmed down to watch for loons landing or swimming by.
“Once they saw a loon come out, they would assemble all of their canoes, they would put their shooter at the bow, and they would paddle after it,” Morris said. “The loon wouldn’t be able to fly because to take off it needs a good wind, so the only way it could escape the paddlers was to dive.”
Morris said the hunter at the bow of the lead canoe would quickly check which direction the loon had headed when diving and would point all of the canoes in that direction.
“When the loon came up he only poked his head (above the water) for a couple of seconds and it was during that time ... they would have a chance to shoot at it,” Morris said. “If they were a good marksman they were able to get it. That was the entertainment part of it – trying to get it.”
Morris said the community would then cook the loon for a meal.
“Nowadays we don’t do that anymore,” Morris said. “We haven’t done that for about 20-25 years because of the mercury pollution.”
Morris said the image of the loon depicts it chasing fish, which is also one of the traditional uses for the canoe.
“The loon eats the fish,” Morris said. “But at the same time, we use the canoe to set nets to catch fish. That was a traditional way of feeding the families.”
Morris has also painted images of a man paddling a canoe, a moose and a sun on the canoe.
“It provides light and heat,” Morris said of the sun. “They are essential for all life on the planet.”
Morris used marine paints to paint the images so the canoe could be used for paddling on the water.
“Marine paint is quite toxic: you need a well-vented place to work with it,” Morris said. “I am looking forward to seeing the finished project – what I have envisioned may not be what I see at the end.”
Morris previously completed a similar project when he painted his own freighter canoe with some images while re-canvassing years ago when he was still living in Bearskin Lake.
“If I won it, I would probably paddle it around for a little while,” Morris said. “But once you land, you’re going to be scraping on the rocks and the brush and paint scrapes off.”
Tickets for the raffle will be sold beginning May 27 at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery’s Up the Creek Paddle Auction. Contact the gallery for tickets.