Norval Morrisseau

Norval Morrisseau was born in 1932 in Fort Arthur (Thunder Bay), Ontario. He is an Ojibwa artist who is the celebrated founder of the Woodland School, which revitalized Anishnabe iconography, traditionally incised on rocks and Midewiwin birch bark scrolls. He is largely a self-taught painter, printmaker, and illustrator. His work is recognized for its innovative vocabulary, which was initially criticized in the Native community for its disclosure of traditional spiritual knowledge. His paintings are often signed with the syllabic spelling of Copper Thunderbird, the name his grandfather gave him.