Daphne Odjig (1919-2016) became one of Canada’s best known and widely celebrated Indigenous artists who learned the fundamentals from two great teachers during her childhood. Daphne’s innate talent was sparked by her grandfather Jonas and later from her father Domenic.  For hours on end, Daphne would watch Jonas make sketches for the designs he would later carve into tombstones for the residents of Wikwemikong Bay on Manitoulin Island.  When Daphne took up the pencil herself, her natural talent and love for drawing bloomed instantly.  

During their long sketching sessions, Jonas would tell Daphne traditional stories:  the tales of creation, the legends of Nanabush.  These themes would feature heavily in many of her most celebrated canvases but throughout her five decades of art-making, Daphne never stopped drawing.  From the time she was a young girl up until her final days surrounded by the forests of Kelowna, British Columbia, Daphne continued to feed her love of drawing.  Over the course of her illustrious career, she received five honorary doctorates, was awarded her country’s highest medal of achievement, the Order of Canada and was one of only a handful of artists to see her work featured on Canadian, US, and International postage stamps.
 
Gallery Gevik is excited to present this very special exhibition dedicated to Daphne Odjig’s personal archive of never before seen works in ink, pastel, and pencil, many of which serve as sketches for landmark paintings and series including all five original sketches that became her famous suite of Jerusalem prints for El Al Airlines in 1975.

Daphne Odjig:  The Artist’s Process continues until June 30, 2025.