Title: Imitaapooka (Dog Child)

Artist: Craig T Marks

Tribal Affiliation: Pikuni (Blackfeet Nation)

Year Completed: 2021

Medium: Acrylic, on canvas

Dimensions (HxWxD): 16" x 40" x 1.5"

Description/Inspiration:

Portrait of Kainai (Blood Tribe) warrior Imitaapooka (Dog Child), one of the artists ancestors. An example of how art has connected the artist with his history and family, researching this painting showed images of a man named Dog Child in front of a lodge with a native woman presumed to be his wife. The man is adorned in Royal Canadian Mounted Police attire carrying a white gripped revolver and holding a samurai sword. This image states Dog Child going by the name "Winnipeg Jack," and describes a tracker for the RCMP who located horse and cattle thieves for the Canadian Government. Members of the artist's family report that Winnipeg Jack and Imitaapooka are in fact, not the same person. The mystery continues as to who "Winnipeg Jack" was, and how he came to be in possession of a samurai sword in Canada during the late 19th Century.

Artist Bio:

Craig Marks is a Florida Suncoast fine artist and illustrator who resides in St. Petersburg with his wife and six children. A Pikuni descendant, the cultural influence of the Blackfeet culture is evident in his body of
work. He has developed strong relationships within the Blackfoot Confederacy and has gained recognition as a ledger artist. The titles of many of his works are in the Blackfoot language, in the hopes of inviting non-native viewers into conversations that dismantle stereotypes, and address inequities still existing in the 21st Century.

Artist Statement:

The Peace Love Art Indigenous Collective is a deeply personal experience, allowing me to show express my gratitude for those who have brought me to this point in my life. As an adopted child, I was blessed with a home and people who loved me and gave me everything. Like any adopted child, I had questions about who I was, and where I came from and left me with an emptiness I had accepted as one I would have to live with.

When I found my birth family, that began to change. Eventually it would be art that opened the doors to understanding my past and finding my ancestors. Each face I paint has a story to tell. Every being depicted on my canvas or rendered on paper has honored me with sharing their story with the world before it is forgotten. Every line on paper or stroke of my brush brings life and spirit to a surface that
was once lifeless.

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