Drawing

These 62 small works (3223/1-62) comprise a collection of drawings in pencil, ink, pencil crayon, and felt pen made by the artist between the years 1968 and 2015. During that period the artist has identified himself by the following names: Ron Hamilton; Hupquatchew; Ki-ke-in; Kwayatsapalth; Chuuchkamalthnii; and Haa’yuups. The drawings are, for the most part, applied to the backs of bookmarks acquired from a range of bookshops; some are applied to other pieces of paper or cutouts from his earlier silkscreen prints. Many of the images represent killer whales, often in conjunction with accoutrements and symbols of Nuu-chah-nulth whaling. The juxtaposition of bookmark and representation of Nuu-chah-nulth himwits’a, or narrative, is a deliberate and meaningful placement of two distinct knowledge systems in relationship with one another. Ephemeral drawings like these were not created for the market; the artist has long made them for himself and sometimes as gifts for relatives and friends; they are a way of sharing his knowledge and experience about Nuu-chah-nulth ways of knowing, thinking about, and being in this world; they are expressive of what he calls kiitskiitsa: marks made with intention.

A drawing on a halved Canada Post envelope. On the front-side is a profile drawing of a human-like being in black pen ink, and yellow and grey pencil. The side of the head is speckled with small black dots. Extending from the top of the forehead to the base of the head is thin black and grey coloured hair. Their left ear is pierced and the forehead is shaded in with black pen and yellow pencil. The words, "But Dolly my name is Saautuu honestly, my Dad named me that," are written in black ink in a speech bubble positioned near the forehead. The eye-brow ridge is exaggerated and is decorated with layers of dashed lines. Below the eye-brow the eye is enclosed by an elongated and lopsided diamond-shape. The cheekbone is accentuated by a curling black line that morphs into the nose. Rounded teeth line the upper jaw of the open mouth. The chin is coloured with black pen and yellow pencil. Below the chin is the remainder of the plastic film window of the envelope. On the reverse-side, the Canada Post stamp is machine-printed in black ink; "9500 9800 A" is handwritten upside-down above the stamp in black pen. Along the bottom edge, opposite the stamp, is a barcode printed in light orange ink.