Roy Thomas

(1949-2004)

Ojibwa First Nation

Ahnisnabae artist Roy Thomas was one of the leading representatives of what is commonly referred to as the “Woodland School of Art.” Though the career of the founding figure of the school, Norval Morrisseau, preceded Thomas’s debut by almost 20 years, the paths of these two creative giants intersected more than once, throughout their lives. Like many other ‘Woodland’ artists across Northwestern Ontario, the two shared certain commonalities by virtue of regional proximity and cultural origin.

After the artist’s death, his wife, Louise Thomas turned her husband’s studio into a gallery. The Ahnisnabae Art Gallery, in Thunder Bay promotes aboriginal artists, including their son, Randy, and sons of other prominent Woodland artists, amongst the artists represented.

Works at Huron