Ancestral Portraits: The Colour of My People

A richly illustrated retrospective of the life and art of Woodland Cree painter, Frederick R McDonald. In three parts: an introduction by human ecologist, Karim-Aly S Kassam; an accessible autobiographical recounting of McDonald’s life and art; a full-colour section of 61 colour reproductions. The book offers a candid and refreshing work that is honest, raw, and at times, humourous. With one foot in the world of his ancestral peoples, and the other in the realm of contemporary Canadian society, McDonald paints from a unique perspective and uses his art to convey a First Nations message to viewers and readers. This is the first in University of Calgary Press’s ‘Art in Profile’ series, which aims to raise the profile of regional artists.